Overview
- President Trump issued a "full, complete, and unconditional" pardon for Stephen Buyer in a proclamation dated June 4 and directed Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to issue a certificate of pardon.
- Buyer was convicted in 2023 in federal court for insider trading tied to trades before the T‑Mobile/Sprint merger and the Guidehouse acquisition of Navigant and was sentenced to 22 months in prison.
- The pardon will relieve Buyer of federal penalties and supervision and restore certain civil rights such as the ability to hold federal office even though the conviction remains part of the public record.
- More than 50 current and former Republican lawmakers lobbied for clemency and framed the prosecution as politically motivated; Buyer continues to maintain his innocence.
- The action adds to President Trump's expansive clemency record this term and renews debate over pardon norms, partisan influence on clemency, and proposals to restrict stock trading by lawmakers.