The Case Against Dan Koh

Four documented problems — in his own words, on the public record.

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1. Career Built on Connections — Not Constituents 2. Does He Even Live Here? The Double Homestead Problem 3. Trading Stocks While Making Policy 4. The $1M Settlement — Hilani Morales
1. Career Built on Connections — Not Constituents
Dan Koh has never won an election to represent the people of MA-6. Every significant role in his career was handed to him through a single patron: Marty Walsh.
The Patronage Chain
Pre-2014
Phillips Academy Andover → Harvard College → Harvard Business School
2014–2018
Walsh appoints Koh Chief of Staff, City of Boston — at age 29, no prior senior government experience
2019–2021
Elected to Andover Select Board — resigns before completing term to follow Walsh
2021–2023
Walsh becomes Biden Labor Secretary → Koh follows as Walsh's Chief of Staff at DOL
2023–2025
Senior Advisor, Biden White House (via Walsh connection) — 79+ stock trades during this period
2025
Leaves government → $183K NHLPA consulting contract (Walsh is NHLPA Executive Director)
2025–
Runs for Congress in MA-6 — a district he has no record of serving
"Democrats just aren't getting it done in D.C. We all know it."
— Dan Koh, campaign launch video, October 2025. The Democrats who "aren't getting it done" are the same ones who gave him every job he's ever had.
Key fact: Family dynasty
Koh's father, Howard Koh, was Assistant Secretary for Health under Obama. His uncle, Harold Koh, was Yale Law Dean and State Department Legal Adviser under Clinton and Obama. The doors that opened for Dan Koh were not opened by MA-6 voters.
Walsh Patronage Establishment Career Family Connections See clips →
2. Does He Even Live Here? The Double Homestead Problem
Koh is running to represent MA-6 as a community he belongs to. His property record tells a different story.
🏠 DC Rowhouse — Washington D.C.
Purchased November 2022 for $1.3 million
Claimed DC homestead deduction — which requires the property to be your primary residence
Sold January 2026 (approx. $130K gain)
Source: OGE 278-TERM, January 2025; DC property records
🏠 Andover Home — Andover, MA
Massachusetts homestead exemption held simultaneously in first half of 2023
MA homestead also requires the property to be your primary residence
Both exemptions active = one deduction is wrong
Source: OGE disclosures; Massachusetts property records
Why it matters
You can only have one primary residence. Either the DC homestead deduction was improper, or the MA exemption was. Either way, when Koh says he's "from" MA-6 and part of this community — his own tax filings suggest Washington was his real home for at least part of his White House tenure.
Compounding evidence
  • In his 2018 congressional race, 95% of campaign donations came from outside the district
  • His People's Cabinet podcast ran for 263 episodes — zero episodes featured MA-6 issues or constituents
  • His career patrons are all D.C./Boston establishment, not North Shore MA
Residency Question Double Homestead OGE Disclosed
3. Trading Stocks While Making Policy
While serving as a Senior Advisor to the Biden White House — with access to policy deliberations on AI, semiconductors, clean energy, and labor — Dan Koh made 79+ stock trades in sectors directly affected by policies his office was coordinating.
79+
Total Trades
59+
Trades in 2023 Alone
$4M
Estimated Trade Volume
$155K
Annual Government Salary
Policy → Trade Timeline
Holding What It Is Policy Connection Source
AIQ AI-focused ETF Purchased ~5 months after Biden AI Executive Order (Oct 30, 2023). Koh's WH office involved in AI policy coordination. OGE 278e
SOXX Semiconductor ETF Held during CHIPS Act passage & implementation (Aug 2022 signing). $50K–$100K personal + $15K–$50K in trust. OGE 278e
GRID Clean Energy ETF Held during Inflation Reduction Act passage/implementation (Aug 2022 signing) OGE 278e
Solana (SOL) Cryptocurrency Held $50K–$100K while White House debating crypto regulation framework OGE 278e
BOTZ Robotics/AI ETF $1K–$15K; held alongside AIQ during AI policy coordination period OGE 278e
🎤 Pete Buttigieg said it was wrong — on Koh's own show
"I think the stock trading is a huge problem, and they should not be doing that. No one from either party should be part of that."
— Pete Buttigieg, guest on The People's Cabinet
Koh nodded along as host. He had made 79+ such trades himself.
Watch the clip →
"Certain affiliations with the President could get rich as a result. These are the things we really need to pay close attention to."
— Dan Koh, on his podcast, talking about Trump allies — while he himself had made 79+ trades aligned with Biden policy priorities.
Stock Trading OGE Disclosed Hypocrisy See clips → Full financial record →
4. The $1M Settlement — Hilani Morales
While Dan Koh was Chief of Staff to Mayor Marty Walsh, a Boston city employee named Hilani Morales was transferred to a do-nothing position two days after being summoned to Koh's office. A lawsuit followed. The City of Boston ultimately settled for $1 million — years after Koh had moved on.
Timeline of Events
July 26, 2017
Hilani Morales summoned to Koh's office. Two days later, she is transferred to a vacant, do-nothing position — later described as retaliation for reporting sexual harassment by then-Chief of Administration Felix Arroyo.
2018
Civil Action 18-0799H filed. Koh is simultaneously running for Congress in MA-6 for the first time. WGBH reports on the case in September 2018.
2018–2024
Koh leaves to pursue next Walsh appointment. The legal case proceeds without him. He is never directly held accountable.
July 2024
City of Boston settles for $1 million. Boston taxpayers pay for what happened on Koh's watch. Koh is in the White House.
2025–2026
Koh announces congressional campaign. Has never publicly addressed the Morales case or the settlement.
The pattern
When things go wrong, Koh moves on. He left the Chief of Staff role before the settlement. He resigned from the Andover Select Board before completing his term. He left the DOL for the White House. The consequences — a $1M taxpayer-funded settlement — landed on someone else.
$1M Settlement Hilani Morales Civil Action 18-0799H WGBH Reported Boston Globe
Sources: Boston Globe (March 15, 2018), WGBH (September 2018), Civil Action 18-0799H (Suffolk County) — Boston Globe ↗
Dig deeper into the record
🎬 Watch the Clips 💰 Financial Record 📋 All Findings