President Donald Trump has pardoned Stephen Buyer, a former Republican congressman from Indiana. Buyer previously spent almost two years in prison for involvement in illegal stock trades based on insider information after his congressional term ended.
Buyer was jailed for 22 months in 2023 due to trades executed during his time as a consultant and lobbyist. He was mandated to surrender over $350,000, representing illegal profits made from these trades, alongside a $10,000 fine. He was released from prison in 2025.
In issuing a “full, complete, and unconditional pardon,” Trump recognized Buyer’s service as a judge advocate general in the Army and his career in the House as both “distinguished and highly productive.” The pardon, dated Thursday, was announced by the White House on Friday evening.
Buyer expressed that the pardon addressed what he considered a “politically motivated prosecution,” and described his incarceration as “horrific for a crime that I did not commit.” He maintains his innocence.
In a display of support, Trump used his Truth Social platform on May 31 to publicize two letters advocating for Buyer’s presidential pardon. Buyer, a lawyer and Gulf War veteran, ended his congressional service in 2011 and participated as a House prosecutor during Democratic President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial in 1998. In 2016, Buyer joined Trump’s transition team, focusing particularly on veterans’ issues.
A letter endorsed by more than 40 ex-Republican Congress members claimed Buyer was targeted by the “deep state,” referencing his role in Clinton’s trial. They suggested similarities in treatment between Buyer and Trump, asserting in April 2025 that both were victims of “lawfare” by the Biden Administration.
A separate letter from five current House Republicans, dated June 2025, advocated for Buyer’s pardon to correct a perceived injustice. The letter included signatures from Tom Cole (Oklahoma), Ken Calvert (California), Marlin Stutzman (Indiana), Jack Bergman (Michigan), and Pete Sessions (Texas).
Buyer, aged 67, was convicted of insider trading linked to the $26.5 billion merger of T-Mobile and Sprint announced in April 2018. Additionally, he was involved in illegal trades concerning the management consulting company Navigant, amid its acquisition by Guidehouse, disclosed publicly a few weeks later.
The U.S. Constitution grants a president wide-ranging powers to pardon federal offenses. While a pardon does not erase the recipient’s criminal record, it is often viewed as a gesture of mercy or justice.