Concerns over ethics and oversight continue to grow as Rep. Seth Moulton’s travel history intertwines with the Schmidt retreat, a luxury Montana gathering funded by billionaire tech mogul and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. Financial disclosures show Schmidt’s nonprofit paid for airfare, lodging, and food for Moulton and his family to attend the annual Yellowstone weekend event in 2021, 2022, and 2023, with only Moulton’s 2023 airfare paid personally.
The Schmidt retreat, held at the exclusive Yellowstone Club—a private enclave boasting multimillion-dollar mansions, a ski mountain, and a golf course—brings together policymakers, celebrities, and foreign dignitaries in a “strictly confidential” setting. Internal documents list vague “sessions,” “lightning round sessions,” and “activities,” offering few details about what occurs behind closed doors. Past attendees have included Eric Lander, Sen. Cory Booker, Lady Gaga, and Ashton Kutcher.
Moulton’s presence raises conflict-of-interest questions because his committee work intersects directly with Schmidt’s ventures. Schmidt chairs SandboxAQ, a $5.6 billion AI and quantum computing startup, and co-founded Innovation Endeavors, which invests in early-stage tech and AI companies. Additionally, Schmidt chaired the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, whose final report cited Moulton’s defense work—work Moulton highlighted while lobbing a friendly question to Schmidt in a congressional hearing just months before his first trip.
Moulton sits on the House Armed Services Committee and its Cyber Innovation Technology and Information Systems subcommittee, which helps shape military cooperation with private-sector AI developers. He also co-chaired the Future of Defense Task Force, whose first recommendation called for a Manhattan Project-style effort to dominate AI development.
Despite proclaiming that “democracy belongs to the people, not billionaires,” Moulton has taken other paid junkets, including a Qatar-funded 2020 trip. While he refunded contributions from AIPAC after launching his Senate campaign, he has not renounced Qatari-linked donations.
