On September 19, 2023, former Indiana Congressman Stephen Buyer was sentenced to 22 months in prison for engaging in two insider trading schemes. As part of his sentence, Buyer was ordered to pay more than $350,000 in forfeiture and restitution.
According to the official DOJ press release, Buyer made over $126,000 from the purchase and subsequent sale of Sprint stock in March and April of 2018 related to the merger of Sprint and T-Mobile US, Inc., and he made over $223,000 from illegal Navigant trades related to Navigant's acquisition by consulting and advisory firm Guidehouse.
Source:
(September 19, 2023). "Former Congressman Sentenced To 22 Months In Prison For Insider Trading". justice.gov. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
On March 19, 2025, a three-judge panel for the Second Circuit court of appeals rejected Buyer's appeal. Read the summary order ruling here.
On June 4, 2026, Donald Trump granted Buyer a "full, complete, and unconditional pardon."
In the official White House proclamation Trump said:
Mr. Buyer's career serving as a Judge Advocate General in the United States Army and as a Member of the United States House of Representatives from the State of Indiana was distinguished and highly productive.
The proclamation also has a long list of people who Trump claims gave their "complete and total endorsement" for Buyer's pardon.
Source:
Trump, Donald. (June 4, 2026). "GRANTING PARDON TO STEPHEN E. BUYER". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
Late last month, Trump posted signed letters on Truth Social from people supporting clemency for Buyer. The letters said, "Like you, Mr. President, Steve has been the victim of lawfare conducted by the Biden administration," they alleged Buyer was "targeted by the deep state" for his role as a House prosecutor in former President Bill Clinton's 1998 impeachment trial, and they said that a full pardon for Buyer would "free Steve from the burden of public guilt wrongly placed upon him by the politically weaponized legal process."
More:
- Former Indiana congressman can't overturn insider trading conviction | Courthouse News Service
- Former U.S. Rep. Steve Buyer of Indiana sentenced to 22 months in prison for insider trading | Associated Press
Commentary:
Buyer was convicted by a jury and his appeal was rejected by a three-judge panel.
Apparently, according to Trump and his sycophants, a) because Buyer was a Judge Advocate General in the U.S. Army, b) because he was a congressman, c) because he was "distinguished and highly productive," d) because he was a victim of "lawfare conducted by the Biden administration" e) because "public guilt" has been "wrongly placed upon him [Buyer] by the politically weaponized legal process," and f) because a long list of people gave their "complete and total endorsement" for his pardon, Buyer is entitled to a "full, complete, and unconditional pardon."
Have you heard of the "Good Old Boy Network?" According to Google Gemini:
The "good old boy network" is an informal system where powerful, socially connected individuals—originally wealthy white men—assist each other through mutual support, favoritism, and backroom dealings.
This pardon, and its ridiculous justifications show us that the "Good Old Boy Network" is alive and well in the Trump administration.
This pardon reeks of corruption.
It doesn't matter how "distinguished" or "highly productive" or anything else someone is. If that someone has committed a crime, then they should face the consequences and not be absolved by the egregious "Good Old Boy Network" behavior of one man.
Of course, this is just another "brick on the pile" of Trump's pathetic pardons. The message Trump is sending is that if you're part of the "Good Old Boy Network" and you commit a crime, Trump has your back and he will pardon you. This is the kind of thing that dictators and authoritarians do. Trump has a long "laundry list" of authoritarian actions he has taken, and as we all know, despite Trump's claims to the contrary, he wants to be a dictator.
Political weaponization of government has been an ongoing rallying cry for Trump and his MAGA supporters.
Political weaponization is just another Trump/MAGA narrative.
It's pure B.S.
It's just another attempt to gaslight the American public and the world into believing that Trump and his sycophants are victims, when in reality they are not.
It's "B-squared F" (beyond, beyond FUBAR).