The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a review into the legality of several pardons issued by Joe Biden in the final days of his presidency. The investigation focuses on pardons granted to members of his family, as well as to inmates previously sentenced to death.
According to Reuters, the review was revealed in an internal email sent to DOJ staff on June 2. The message was authored by Ed Martin, a Justice Department attorney responsible for pardon matters. In the email, Martin stated he had been instructed to investigate whether Biden was legally competent at the time he signed the pardons and whether any technical tools—such as an AutoPen—were used to sign documents on his behalf. (An AutoPen is a device that automatically replicates a person’s signature.)
The review is centered on preemptive pardons issued to several of Biden’s relatives and on the decision to commute the death sentences of 37 federal inmates to life imprisonment.
The email does not specify who ordered the investigation or which family-related pardons are under scrutiny. However, the development has drawn attention, especially in light of former President Donald Trump’s extensive use of the pardon power. On January 20, 2021, Trump granted clemency to nearly 1,500 individuals, including supporters charged in connection with the January 6 Capitol attack—a failed attempt to overturn Biden’s 2020 election victory.
It’s worth recalling that shortly before transferring power to Trump, Biden publicly pardoned five members of his family—James Biden, Frank Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, and their spouses John Owens and Sara Biden. On December 1, he also pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, who had pleaded guilty to tax violations and faced firearms-related charges.
