Donald Trump pardoned Stephen Buyer, a former Republican congressman from Indiana, who served nearly two years in prison after being convicted of insider trading. The pardon was announced on Friday, with the White House releasing the document dated Thursday.
Background of the Case
Buyer was sentenced to 22 months in prison in 2023 for making illegal stock trades based on inside information while working as a consultant and lobbyist after leaving Congress. He was ordered to forfeit over $350,000 in illegal gains and pay a $10,000 fine. He was released in 2025. The Supreme Court rejected his appeal in May without comment.
Trump's Justification
In granting a full and unconditional pardon, Trump cited Buyer's service as a judge advocate general in the US Army and his tenure as a congressman, calling him distinguished and highly productive. Buyer expressed gratitude, stating the pardon corrects a politically motivated prosecution and that it was horrific to be imprisoned for a crime he did not commit.
Political Support
Last month, Trump posted letters requesting a pardon for Buyer. One letter, signed by over 40 former Republicans in Congress, claimed Buyer was targeted by the deep state due to his role in Bill Clinton's impeachment trial. A second letter from five current House Republicans argued that a pardon would bring justice. The signatories included Tom Cole, Ken Calvert, Marlin Stutzman, Jack Bergman, and Pete Sessions.
Buyer, a lawyer and Gulf War veteran, left office in 2011. He served as a House prosecutor for Clinton's 1998 impeachment trial and was on Trump's 2016 transition team for veterans' issues. His conviction involved insider trading related to the T-Mobile and Sprint merger and trades in Navigant Consulting before its acquisition by Guidehouse.
The US Constitution grants presidents broad pardon power for federal crimes. Pardons do not erase criminal records but are seen as acts of mercy or justice.
