President Trump Pardons Ex-Congressman Stephen Buyer for Insider Trading

President Donald Trump has issued a pardon to Stephen Buyer, a former Republican congressman from Indiana. Buyer served a prison sentence for making illegal stock trades based on inside information after leaving office. He was sentenced to 22 months in prison in 2023 for trades made while working as a consultant and lobbyist. Buyer was ordered to forfeit over $350,000, which was the amount of his illegal gains, and pay a $10,000 fine. His release came in 2025.

Trump granted Buyer “a full, complete, and unconditional pardon.” He praised Buyer’s career in the Army as a judge advocate general and his service in the House, describing it as “distinguished and highly productive.” The pardon, dated Thursday, was publicly released by the White House late Friday.

Buyer commented on the pardon, stating it “corrects a politically motivated prosecution.” He claimed, “it was horrific to be imprisoned for a crime that I did not commit,” maintaining his innocence.

On May 31, Trump used his Truth Social media platform to share two letters requesting a presidential pardon for Buyer. Buyer, a lawyer and Gulf War veteran, left office in 2011. During Democratic President Bill Clinton’s 1998 impeachment trial, Buyer served as a House prosecutor. He later joined Trump’s transition team in 2016, focusing on veterans’ issues.

A letter signed by over 40 former Republican Congress members claimed Buyer was “targeted by the deep state” due to his involvement in Clinton’s trial. They wrote in an April 2025 letter, “Like you, Mr. President, Steve has been the victim of lawfare conducted by the Biden Administration.”

Another letter, from five current House Republicans, urged for Buyer’s pardon to bring justice to his case. This June 2025 letter was signed by Tom Cole of Oklahoma, Ken Calvert of California, Marlin Stutzman of Indiana, Jack Bergman of Michigan, and Pete Sessions of Texas.

Buyer, aged 67, faced conviction related to insider trading during the $26.5 billion merger of T-Mobile and Sprint, announced in April 2018. It also involved illegal trades regarding Navigant Consulting when his client Guidehouse was set to acquire it, a deal made public weeks later.

The Constitution gives a president extensive power to grant pardons for federal crimes. While pardons do not erase a criminal record, they can be viewed as acts of mercy or justice.