Donald Trump Pardons Congressman Convicted of Multi-Million Dollar Fraud

President Donald Trump has granted a pardon to Republican Congressman Stephen Buyer, who was convicted of defrauding investors through insider trading.

The White House did not provide a specific justification for the pardon, instead referencing Buyer's past service as a member of Congress and a military judge. The decision was reportedly made based on the "advice and recommendations" of 52 current and former senators and representatives, according to Mediafax.

Buyer, who represented Indiana in the House of Representatives from 1993 to 2011, was later convicted in 2023 and sentenced to 22 months in prison for fraud. His appeal to the Supreme Court was denied earlier this year.

Prosecutors demonstrated that Buyer used confidential information about a $23 billion merger between T-Mobile and Sprint to purchase Sprint stock in 2018. He repeated a similar scheme a year later involving Navigant Consulting Inc. before its acquisition by Guidehouse. These transactions yielded Buyer over $100,000 from Sprint and more than $200,000 from Navigant Consulting Inc.

The pardon comes after Buyer's conviction for using non-public information to gain financially, highlighting a controversial use of presidential clemency power.

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advice and recommendations