RismadarVoice Reporters, June 7, 2026
United States President, Donald Trump has granted a full presidential pardon to former Indiana Congressman, Stephen Buyer, a Republican who was convicted of insider trading and served nearly two years in federal prison.
The White House announced the pardon on Friday, describing Buyer’s military and public service record as distinguished. The pardon, dated Thursday, fully removes the federal penalties associated with his conviction.
Buyer, a former Army judge advocate and Gulf War veteran, was sentenced in 2023 to 22 months in prison after being found guilty of profiting from confidential business information while working as a consultant and lobbyist after leaving Congress. In addition to his prison term, he was ordered to forfeit more than $350,000 in profits obtained through the illegal trades and pay a $10,000 fine.
He was released from prison in 2025 after serving most of his sentence.
The former lawmaker has consistently maintained his innocence, arguing that he was wrongfully prosecuted. Following the announcement of the pardon, Buyer described the case against him as politically motivated and said the presidential action corrected what he viewed as a miscarriage of justice.
The decision comes shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Buyer’s appeal, leaving his conviction intact.
Trump highlighted Buyer’s years of military service and legislative work in explaining the pardon. The former congressman represented Indiana in the U.S. House of Representatives until 2011 and later participated in Trump’s 2016 presidential transition team, focusing on veterans’ affairs.
Support for Buyer’s pardon had been growing among Republican lawmakers and allies. More than 40 former Republican members of Congress signed a letter urging Trump to intervene, claiming Buyer had been unfairly targeted because of his political affiliations and his role in former President Bill Clinton’s 1998 impeachment proceedings.
A separate appeal was submitted by five sitting Republican lawmakers, who argued that granting clemency would serve the interests of justice.
Federal prosecutors had accused Buyer of using confidential information to profit from stock trades linked to major corporate transactions. His conviction stemmed from trades involving the merger between telecommunications companies T-Mobile and Sprint, as well as investments connected to consulting firm Navigant before its acquisition by Guidehouse.
Under the U.S. Constitution, presidents have broad authority to grant pardons for federal offences. While a pardon does not erase a conviction from an individual’s record, it restores certain rights and is often viewed as an act of mercy or a remedy for perceived injustice.
