Trump Issues Full Unconditional Pardon To Ex-Rep. Stephen Buyer For Insider Trading
President Donald Trump granted a full, unconditional pardon to former Indiana Rep. Stephen Buyer, with the pardon formally dated Thursday, June 4, 2026 and released by the White House late Friday, June 5, 2026.[1]
Buyer, 67, was convicted in 2023 on insider trading charges tied to trades after he left Congress, including those linked to the April 2018 $26.5 billion T-Mobile-Sprint merger and a later Navigant acquisition.[1] The Supreme Court rejected Buyer's appeal in May 2026 without comment or noted dissent shortly before the pardon.[1] Buyer told The Associated Press the pardon "corrects a politically motivated prosecution" and that it was "horrific to be imprisoned for a crime that I did not commit," and he again said he is innocent.[1]
Trump cited Buyer's service as an Army judge advocate and his House career as "distinguished and highly productive" in the pardon language and highlighted letters seeking clemency on Truth Social in May and June 2025.[1] More than 40 former Republican members of Congress signed a letter saying Buyer was "targeted by the deep state." PBS Five current House Republicans — Tom Cole, Ken Calvert, Marlin Stutzman, Jack Bergman and Pete Sessions — urged clemency in a June 2025 letter.[1]
Fox News also reported that former Rep. Buyer received a full pardon.[2]
Show source details & analysis (2 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- The pardon for former Indiana Rep. Stephen Buyer was formally dated Thursday, June 4, 2026, and was released by the White House late Friday, June 5, 2026.
- Buyer told the Associated Press the pardon “corrects a politically motivated prosecution,” called it “horrific to be imprisoned for a crime that I did not commit,” and reiterated that he maintains his innocence.
- The Supreme Court in May 2026 rejected Buyer’s appeal of his 2023 conviction without comment or noted dissent, shortly before the pardon.
- The pardon language describes Buyer’s Army judge advocate and House careers as “distinguished and highly productive,” a rationale cited by Trump for granting the pardon.
- Trump highlighted and shared letters on Truth Social in May and June 2025 seeking clemency for Buyer, including one signed by more than 40 former Republican members of Congress claiming he was “targeted by the deep state.”
- A second clemency letter in June 2025 from five current House Republicans — Tom Cole, Ken Calvert, Marlin Stutzman, Jack Bergman and Pete Sessions — urged Trump to pardon Buyer “as a matter of justice,” according to the report.
- Buyer, now 67, was convicted in 2023 over insider trades tied to the April 2018 $26.5 billion T‑Mobile–Sprint merger and a later acquisition of Navigant by Guidehouse, trades he executed after leaving Congress while working as a consultant and lobbyist.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- The PBS article reports that the pardon for former Indiana Rep. Stephen Buyer was formally dated Thursday, June 4, 2026, and released by the White House late Friday, June 5, 2026.
- Buyer told the Associated Press that the pardon "corrects a politically motivated prosecution" and that it was "horrific to be imprisoned for a crime that I did not commit," reiterating that he maintains his innocence.
- The story notes that the Supreme Court in May 2026 rejected Buyer’s appeal of his 2023 conviction without comment or noted dissent, shortly before the pardon.
- The article quotes the pardon language describing Buyer’s Army judge advocate and House careers as "distinguished and highly productive," which Trump cited as reasons for granting the pardon.
- It details that Trump highlighted and shared letters on Truth Social in May and June 2025 seeking clemency for Buyer, including one by more than 40 former Republican members of Congress claiming Buyer was "targeted by the deep state" over his role in President Bill Clinton’s 1998 impeachment trial.
- A second letter from five current House Republicans in June 2025 (Tom Cole, Ken Calvert, Marlin Stutzman, Jack Bergman and Pete Sessions) is described as urging Trump to pardon Buyer as a matter of justice.
- The PBS piece reiterates that Buyer, now 67, was convicted over insider trades tied to the April 2018 $26.5 billion T‑Mobile–Sprint merger and a later acquisition of Navigant by Guidehouse, trades he executed after leaving Congress while working as a consultant and lobbyist.