Trump Pardons Ex-Congressman Stephen Buyer for Illegal Stock Trading

President Donald Trump has granted a pardon to Stephen Buyer, a former Republican congressman from Indiana. Buyer had spent nearly two years in prison for illegal stock trades using inside information after leaving office. In 2023, Buyer received a sentence of 22 months for transactions made during his time as a consultant and lobbyist. He was also ordered to forfeit over $350,000, which represented the proceeds from the illegal trades, and pay a $10,000 fine. He was released in 2025.

Trump issued a “full, complete, and unconditional pardon,” citing Buyer’s service as a judge advocate general in the Army and his productive political career. The official pardon was dated Thursday and made public by the White House late Friday.

Buyer argued that the prosecution was politically driven, saying it was “horrific to be imprisoned for a crime” he insists he did not commit. Trump shared letters requesting a pardon on his Truth Social media account on May 31. Buyer, also a lawyer and Gulf War veteran, left congressional office in 2011. He participated as a House prosecutor during President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial in 1998 and assisted Trump’s team on veterans’ issues in 2016.

A letter endorsed by over 40 former Republican congress members claimed Buyer was “targeted by the deep state” due to his involvement in Clinton’s trial. They expressed that both Buyer and Trump were victims of politically motivated legal actions by the Biden Administration. A second letter from five current House Republicans advocated for Buyer’s pardon to ensure justice in his case. Signatories included Tom Cole from Oklahoma, Ken Calvert from California, Marlin Stutzman from Indiana, Jack Bergman from Michigan, and Pete Sessions from Texas.

Buyer had been convicted on insider trading charges linked to the $26.5 billion merger of T-Mobile and Sprint, announced in April 2018. His conviction also involved illegal trades in Navigant Consulting Inc., amid its planned acquisition by Guidehouse.

The Constitution grants presidents broad authority to pardon federal crimes. While pardons do not clear criminal records, they are often regarded as acts of mercy or justice.