US Department of Justice is reviewing the legality of a number of pardons approved by Biden
An official of the US Department of Justice has been instructed to check the legality of the pardons granted by the 46th President of the United States Joe Biden in the last days of his presidency to his family members and prisoners sentenced to death. This was reported by Reuters.
The relevant instruction was given by a senior official of the US Department of Justice under the leadership of the current US President Donald Trump.
Justice Department clemency lawyer Ed Martin wrote in an email obtained by Reuters that the investigation is into whether Biden was "competent and whether other people used him by using the AutoPen or other means".
An AutoPen is a device designed to automatically sign documents. Trump and his supporters have made various unsubstantiated claims that Biden's use of the device during his presidency invalidated his actions or showed that he was not fully aware of them. However, it is not known whether Biden used the AutoPen to approve pardons.
The email says Martin's investigation focuses on the preventive pardons Biden granted to several members of his family and the pardons that saved 37 prisoners from death row by commuting their sentences to life in prison.
The email did not specify which members of Biden's family were being reviewed for pardons. It was also not clear who instructed Martin to launch the investigation.
- December 2, 2024 Biden pardons Gunther's son and says his case was not treated the same as other suspects.
- January 20, 2025 Biden preemptively pardons five members of his family in his last minutes in office.
