US President Donald Trump’s Justice Department is examining pardons granted by former President Joe Biden, encompassing those extended to family members and death row prisoners.
An internal email obtained by Reuters reveals that Ed Martin, the department’s pardon attorney, informed staff he was “directed to investigate” whether Biden was “competent and whether others were taking advantage of him through use of AutoPen or other means.”
An AutoPen, for those unfamiliar, is a device that replicates a person’s signature, which Biden reportedly employed during his tenure, prompting skepticism from Trump and his supporters, who argue it undermines the legitimacy of presidential actions.
Although no evidence suggests Biden used an AutoPen for these pardons, Martin’s investigation focuses on two key areas: Preemptive pardons issued to five of Biden’s family members.
Commutations for 37 federal prisoners, whose death sentences were converted to life imprisonment.
Just days before leaving office on Jan. 20, Biden pardoned his siblings—James Biden, Frank Biden, and Valerie Biden Owens—and their spouses. His son, Hunter Biden, was pardoned on Dec. 1 after pleading guilty to tax violations and facing gun-related convictions.
The U.S. Constitution grants presidents “plenary” or absolute authority to issue pardons, a fact Martin acknowledged during a May 13 press conference: “If you use the autopen for pardon power, I don’t think that that’s necessarily a problem,” he said, adding, “But I still felt the Biden pardons warranted scrutiny.”
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