Trump pardons former Republican congressman convicted of insider trading

Donald Trump pardoned Stephen Buyer of Indiana, who served nearly two years in prison after conviction As his administration promotes what it calls a crackdown on fraud in states run by Democrats, Donald Trump once again used the pardon power to excuse financial crimes committed by a Republican, granting a pardon this week to Stephen Buyer, a former Republican congressman from Indiana who served nearly two years in prison for making illegal stock trades based on inside information after he left office. Buyer was sentenced to 22 months in prison in 2023 for trades made while working as a consultant and lobbyist. He was ordered to forfeit more than $350,000, representing the amount of the illegal gains, and pay a $10,000 fine. He was released in 2025. The supreme court in May rejected Buyer’s appeal without comment or noted dissent. In granting “a full, complete, and unconditional pardon”, Trump cited Buyer’s career as a judge advocate general in the US army and said he represented Indiana in the House as a “distinguished and highly productive” congressman. The pardon was dated Thursday and released by the White House late Friday. Buyer said the pardon “corrects a politically motivat