President Donald Trump has issued a full pardon to former U.S. Representative Stephen Buyer, a Republican congressman from Indiana. Buyer had been convicted on four counts of securities fraud after leaving Congress.
The conviction was for insider trading involving illegal stock trades made based on inside information while Buyer served as a consultant to T-Mobile US Inc. ahead of its $23 billion merger with Sprint. Buyer was sentenced to 22 months in prison and served nearly two years, though he has maintained his innocence.
Trump cited Buyer's career as a judge advocate general in the Army and his service in the House as reasons for the pardon. Furthermore, more than 40 Republicans in Congress signed a letter claiming that Buyer was targeted by the deep state due to his involvement in Clinton's trial.