The White House recently announced that President Donald Trump has exercised his constitutional authority to grant a pardon to former Republican Indiana Representative Stephen Buyer. Buyer had been convicted for profiting from insider information, resulting in a federal conviction and a 22-month prison sentence in 2023.
Buyer, who led the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and served during the 1998 impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton, was found guilty of using insider information after leaving office. This decision has erased his prior conviction.
“A distinguished career,” the White House stated, acknowledging Buyer’s roles as a judge advocate general in the U.S. Army and his service in Congress from 1993 to 2011.
The pardon was strongly supported by over 50 current and former lawmakers. Notable endorsements came from Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and Roger Wicker, former House Speaker John Boehner, and others like Rick Santorum and Louie Gohmert.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was instructed to ensure the issuance of a pardon certificate for Buyer. The conviction involved allegations of buying shares in companies like Navigant and Sprint using nonpublic information, actions that were scrutinized during his trial.
Judge Richard Berman, who presided over the case, noted that Buyer obstructed justice by providing false explanations for these trades. Despite efforts from Buyer’s legal team to seek a lighter sentence, including home confinement, Berman sentenced Buyer to prison, imposed a fine, and ordered forfeiture of his illicit gains.
While federal prosecutors sought additional compensation, the judge did not mandate Buyer to cover extra legal expenses.
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