- A senior Justice Department official has been instructed to investigate President Joe Biden's clemency decisions towards the end of his term, according to Reuters.
- The investigation, initiated at the behest of a senior official appointed during Donald Trump’s presidency, will focus on pardons granted to Biden family members and inmates on death row.
- pardons under scrutiny include those issued to Biden's siblings James Biden, Frank Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, and their spouses, as well as his son Hunter Biden.
- The investigation will examine whether Biden “was competent and whether others were taking advantage of him through use of AutoPen or other means,” according to an email from the Justice Department’s pardon attorney, Ed Martin.
- Ed Martin stated that he views the presidential pardon power as “plenary,” but still believes the Biden pardons warrant scrutiny, despite a 2005 Justice Department memo finding it legitimate for a subordinate to use an autopen for the president’s signature.
