Trump Pardons Former Congressman Stephen Buyer Convicted of Insider Trading

President Donald Trump has granted a pardon to Stephen Buyer, a former Republican congressman from Indiana, who was convicted of insider trading and served nearly two years in prison. Buyer was sentenced to 22 months in prison in 2023 for making illegal stock trades based on inside information after leaving office. He was ordered to forfeit over $350,000 in illegal gains and pay a $10,000 fine, and he was released in 2025. The Supreme Court rejected his appeal in May without comment. In the pardon announcement, Trump highlighted Buyer’s service as a judge advocate general in the Army and his congressional career. Buyer stated that the pardon corrects what he describes as a politically motivated prosecution and maintains his innocence. Letters from over 40 former Republican Congress members and five current House Republicans supported the pardon, claiming Buyer was targeted due to his past political actions. Buyer was convicted related to insider trading connected to the $26.5 billion merger of T-Mobile and Sprint and trades involving the consulting firm Navigant. The Constitution allows the president to grant pardons for federal crimes, which do not erase a criminal record but can be viewed as acts of mercy.