Trump pardons a convicted insider trader — the pattern no one will name
The Buyer pardon is not just a one-off: it fits a pattern of Trump using clemency for political allies convicted of financial crimes. The left sees corruption; the right sees overreach correction — both have a real argument here.
Trump erased a completed $350K insider-trading conviction while his DOJ claims it's cracking down on fraud in Democratic states.
Buyer maintained his innocence; the pardon power exists to correct prosecutorial overreach — the president's constitutional authority here is unambiguous.
Al Jazeera notes Buyer maintained innocence — internationally, the story is what unchecked clemency power signals about U.S. rule-of-law credibility.
Hidden truth: A jury convicted, a judge sentenced 22 months, $350K was forfeited — and one signature erased all of it with zero oversight required by law.Read the full breakdown →
Should the pardon power require a review process before erasing completed criminal sentences?
