President Donald Trump’s Justice Department has started an investigation into the pardons that Joe Biden gave during his last days as president. This includes pardons for Biden’s family and some prisoners who were on death row.
An internal email seen by Reuters shows that Ed Martin, the department’s pardon lawyer, was told to check if Biden was fully able to make these decisions. They also want to see if anyone else used a signature machine called AutoPen to sign pardons for Biden.
An AutoPen is a tool that copies a person’s signature automatically. Biden is said to have used this device while he was in office. Trump and his supporters have often doubted this, saying it makes the pardons less valid.
Even though there’s no proof Biden used AutoPen for the pardons, the investigation focuses on two groups. First, the pardons Biden gave early to five of his family members. Second, the reduced sentences for 37 prisoners who avoided the death penalty and got life sentences instead.
Just a few days before he left office on January 20, Biden pardoned his brothers James and Frank Biden, his sister Valerie Biden Owens, and their spouses. His son, Hunter Biden, also got a pardon in December after admitting to tax crimes and facing gun-related charges.
The U.S. Constitution gives the president complete power to issue pardons. Ed Martin said at a news conference that using the AutoPen for pardons is not always a problem, but he still thinks the Biden pardons need to be looked at carefully.
