Mr. Byer was convicted of insider trading after prosecutors accused him of making nearly $350,000 based on information he gathered through his consulting work.
President Trump’s unprecedented pardon list raises eyebrows
President Donald Trump entered his second term and granted pardons to convicted murderers and extortionists. Is this legal?
President Donald Trump on June 4 pardoned former Indiana Republican Congressman Steve Byer, who was convicted in 2023 of insider trading.
President Trump has appeared to hint at the possibility of pardoning Bayer in recent days, posting several letters on social media from people requesting clemency.
Former Republican House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio and dozens of other former members said in a letter dated April 18, 2025, that Byer was targeted because of his political work under President Joe Biden’s administration. They specifically noted Mr. Byer’s work as House impeachment managers against former President Bill Clinton in 1999.
“Like you, he has suffered the consequences of the political weaponization of the federal and state judiciaries,” they wrote.
Mr. Byer was convicted by a federal jury in New York after testifying in a trial that lasted more than a week.
Prosecutors charged that he earned about $350,000 in trades based on insider information he gathered through his consulting work. For example, in one transaction, the company said it bought Sprint stock ahead of its 2018 merger with T-Mobile after learning privately that the merger was coming.
The pardon does not shorten Bayer’s time in prison, as he is expected to be released from prison in early 2025. However, he will be relieved of continued supervision and have certain civil rights restored, including the ability to hold federal office.
Supporters of Mr. Bayer, who has long maintained his innocence, may also hope that a pardon will boost his reputation. President Trump remains bullish on using presidential pardon powers during his second term.
Before winning the 2024 presidential election, Trump faces multiple criminal charges, which he calls “use of arms” and “misconduct.” Trump was convicted in one case in New York, which he is appealing, but several other cases against him were dropped following his election victory.
On the day of his swearing-in in 2025, Trump kept his campaign promise and pardoned more than 1,500 people for crimes related to the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. He granted pardons to high-profile defendants, including former U.S. Rep. George Santos, former Trump lawyer and New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley.
Trump also pardoned rapper NBA Youngboy, Chicago gang leader Larry Hoover, Binance founder Chao Changpeng, moderate Texas Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar, who later criticized “loyalty” for refusing to change parties, and former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez. President Trump was famously lobbied by one of the world’s most famous women, media mogul Kim Kardashian, to pardon her 63-year-old grandmother Alice Marie Johnson, who served 20 years in federal prison. Johnson, now 71, is President Trump’s clemency czar in his second term.
Contributor: Kinsey Crowley
