Donald Trump Pardons Former Congressman Stephen Buyer

President Donald Trump has granted a pardon to Stephen Buyer, a former Republican congressman from Indiana. Buyer had served nearly two years in prison for illegal stock trades made with inside information after leaving office. Sentenced to 22 months in 2023, Buyer was involved in trades while working as a consultant and lobbyist. He was ordered to forfeit over $350,000 and pay a $10,000 fine, being released in 2025.

Trump’s pardon, described as “full, complete, and unconditional,” acknowledges Buyer’s career as a judge advocate general in the Army and his productive tenure in Congress. The pardon, dated Thursday, was disclosed by the White House late on Friday.

“The pardon corrects a politically motivated prosecution,” Buyer stated, maintaining his innocence. “It was horrific to be imprisoned for a crime that I did not commit.”

Trump shared letters requesting a pardon for Buyer on his Truth Social platform on May 31. Buyer, a lawyer and Gulf War veteran, left office in 2011. He was a prosecutor in President Bill Clinton’s 1998 impeachment trial and served on Trump’s transition team in 2016, focusing on veterans’ issues.

A letter from over 40 former Republican congress members claimed Buyer was targeted due to his involvement in Clinton’s trial. It stated, “Like you, Mr. President, Steve has been the victim of lawfare conducted by the Biden Administration.” This letter, written in April 2025, argued Buyer was “targeted by the deep state.”

A second letter, from five current House Republicans, supported the pardon as a means of delivering justice in Buyer’s case. Signed in June 2025, the letter included signatures from Tom Cole of Oklahoma, Ken Calvert of California, Marlin Stutzman of Indiana, Jack Bergman of Michigan, and Pete Sessions of Texas.

Buyer, 67, faced conviction for insider trading linked to the $26.5 billion merger of T-Mobile and Sprint in April 2018. He also engaged in illegal trades involving the management consulting firm Navigant when Guidehouse, his client, planned to acquire it.

The Constitution grants presidents significant authority to issue pardons for federal offenses. Although pardons do not remove criminal records, they can reflect an act of mercy or justice.