The White House has announced that President Donald Trump issued a “full, complete, and unconditional pardon” to former Indiana Representative Stephen Buyer. This action was taken under Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution. Buyer had been convicted in 2023 for utilizing insider information to gain financial profit, a charge that led to a 22-month prison sentence.
Buyer, who once chaired the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and served as a House prosecutor during President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial in 1998, faced accusations of trading based on nonpublic information after leaving office. The White House commended his “distinguished and highly productive” career, highlighting his service as a judge advocate general in the U.S. Army and his tenure from 1993 to 2011 as a U.S. representative from Indiana.
Support for the pardon came from over 50 current and former lawmakers. Notable endorsers included Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and Roger Wicker, and former House Speaker John Boehner. Others endorsing the pardon were former Senator Rick Santorum, former Representative Louie Gohmert, former Representative Dan Burton, former Representative Lamar Smith, and former Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill Jr.
The White House directed Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to “administer and effectuate the immediate issuance of a certificate of pardon” for Buyer.
Buyer’s conviction involved purchasing stock in Navigant management company shortly before an acquisition by Guidehouse, one of his clients. Additionally, he purchased Sprint shares after learning about its unannounced merger plans with T-Mobile. U.S. District Judge Richard Berman claimed Buyer obstructed justice by providing false explanations for these trades.
Buyer’s legal defense sought home confinement and community service instead of imprisonment, citing his financial ruin from legal costs. Despite their efforts, Judge Berman sentenced Buyer to 22 months in prison, ordered the forfeiture of $354,027 from the illegal trades, and imposed a $10,000 fine. Federal prosecutors’ request for Buyer to cover $1.4 million in legal fees for both sides was denied by the judge.
Alexandra Koch of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
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