Former Congressman Stephen Buyer Pardoned by President Trump

President Donald Trump issued a full and unconditional pardon to Stephen Buyer, a former Republican U.S. Representative from Indiana, who had been convicted of insider trading and served nearly two years in prison.

The pardon, dated January 20, 2025, was released by the White House on January 21, 2025. Buyer, who served in Congress from 1993 to 2011, was convicted in 2023 on federal insider trading charges. He was sentenced to 22 months in prison, ordered to forfeit over $350,000, and fined $10,000. He was released from custody in 2025. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected his appeal in May 2025 without comment.

The Charges and Conviction

Buyer's conviction stemmed from two sets of trades made while he worked as a consultant and lobbyist after leaving Congress:

• He traded on non-public information related to the T-Mobile/Sprint merger, which was announced in April 2018.
• He also traded in the stock of Navigant Consulting prior to its acquisition by Guidehouse.

Political and Legal Background

• Buyer served as a House prosecutor in President Bill Clinton's 1998 impeachment trial.
• He served on Trump's 2016 presidential transition team, focusing on veterans' issues.
• A letter from over 40 former Republican members of Congress claimed Buyer was "targeted by the deep state" due to his role in Clinton's impeachment.
• A separate letter from five current House Republicans—Tom Cole, Ken Calvert, Marlin Stutzman, Jack Bergman, and Pete Sessions—formally requested the pardon.

Reactions to the Pardon

President Trump's statement cited Buyer's military service as a U.S. Army officer and his congressional career, describing his career as "distinguished and highly productive."

Buyer stated that the pardon "corrects a politically motivated prosecution" and maintained his innocence, calling it "horrific to be imprisoned for a crime that I did not commit."