Rep Buyer: “I plan to complete my term"

Indiana Congressman Steve Buyer (R-4th District) announced Friday he will serve out his term and not seek re-election. Buyer cited his wife's diagnosis with an “incurable autoimmune disease” saying his decision was to do what is best for her.

“As part of her prognosis, she has been advised to ‘de-stress’ her life; therefore, I believe it is my family’s best interest for me to complete my service to the nation in military uniform and in Congress,” the congressman said.

"I have spoken with Minority Leader Boehner and Governor Daniels that I plan to complete my present term in Congress. I will not seek re-election to the Fourth Congressional District,” Buyer said.

"There are many things I will miss doing," Buyer said, "but now is the time to step back and focus on Joni...My family."

The congressman is perhaps best known for his 1998 role as a prosecutor in President Clinton’s impeachment hearings.

Buyer, whose Frontier Foundation became the focus of a CBS investigation , did not mention his foundation in his remarks Friday.

Buyer made changes to they way the foundation ran, moving it out of his campaign offices in Monticello, in August when questions were first raised about the fund.

The foundation was established to provide scholarships.

Governor Daniels released a statement saying, “Steve Buyer came back from Desert Storm to become part of a reform movement that took Washington by storm. He has served Indiana and his country well for 18 years. We thank him for his service and know he'll continue to find ways to extend it in private life.

“Joni Buyer has been a great citizen in her own right. I know every Hoosier joins me in sending her our love and our hopes for a full and quick recovery.”

Congressman Mike Pence also released a statement Friday.

The statement read, “Steve Buyer is a patriot and true public servant. It has been a distinct honor and pleasure to have served alongside him in the United States Congress for the past decade, and I commend him on his nearly 30 years of service in uniform. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Steve and his beloved Joni during this difficult time for their family.”