Justice Dept. investigating Biden's final pardons for autopen abuse

The Justice Department is investigating the legitimacy of thousands of pardons that President Biden issued during his final days in office, pardons likely signed with an autopen.

The Justice Department’s new pardon attorney, Ed Martin, said he’s investigating whether Mr. Biden “was competent and whether others were taking advantage of him through use of an autopen or other means.”

Mr. Biden’s mental acuity and use of the autopen are under this new federal scrutiny amid reports that his top aides covered up for his cognitive decline and made decisions on his behalf.

President Trump recently mocked the Biden administration as “The AUTOPEN.”

The auto signature device was used by the Biden administration to sign executive orders and legislation, according to the Oversight Project, which found an increased use of the tool “as Mr. Biden’s mental and physical decline accelerated.”

The autopen was used on days when Mr. Biden was in the Oval Office and could have provided his real signature, the Oversight Project reported.

During his final days in office, it was likely utilized to grant pardons and commutations to thousands of people, including dozens of convicted murderers.

Mr. Trump called Mr. Biden’s autopen usage “a big deal,” and said “whoever was operating the Autopen,” was acting as president.

On Monday, he blamed “the autopen” for Iran’s progress toward creating a nuclear weapon during the Biden administration.

“The AUTOPEN should have stopped Iran a long time ago from ‘enriching.’ Under our potential Agreement — WE WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM!,” Mr. Trump posted on his Truth Social media site.

Mr. Martin announced the investigation in a memo sent to Justice Department staff, Reuters reported.

He said he would examine Mr. Biden’s pardoning of his family members and the commutations issued to 37 federal death-row inmates whose sentences were converted to life in prison.

A new book authored by CNN host Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson reported the Biden administration was run by a handful of top aides as Mr. Biden’s cognitive abilities decreased rapidly during the final year or two of his administration.

Mr. Biden’s cognitive decline is under investigation by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The panel last month sent letters demanding that Dr. Kevin O’Connor, former White House physician, and four former senior White House aides appear for transcribed interviews after reports detailed the severity of Mr. Biden’s cognitive struggles and his sudden, recent diagnosis of stage four prostate cancer.

“The committee remains concerned that you … were involved in running interference on behalf of the former president and perhaps performing duties exclusively reserved for the President of the United States,” panel Chairman James Comer, Kentucky Republican, wrote to the aides.

The Oversight Project examined 51 clemency warrants bearing Mr. Biden’s signature. The warrants granted clemency to 4,245 people, a record for any U.S. president.

More than half of the warrants issued during Mr. Biden’s administration, the Oversight Project found, were signed by one of two autopen signatures.

“Our findings suggest widespread use of an autopen to sign clemency warrants throughout the Biden presidency,” the authors of the investigation reported. “This apparent use raises concerns about: whether President Biden personally authorized each official act; whether or which unelected staff controlled the autopen device; and whether they acted with his approval.”

Mr. Biden, in a May appearance on the daytime talk show “The View,” said the bombshell book claiming he was too cognitively impaired to run the country was false.

“They are wrong. There is nothing to sustain that,” Mr. Biden said.