President Donald Trump’s Justice Department is investigating last-minute pardons issued by former President Joe Biden to his family members and federal death row inmates.
In an internal email seen by Reuters, Pardon Attorney Ed Martin said he was directed to assess whether Biden was mentally competent when he signed the clemency orders and whether others took advantage of him, possibly using an autopen.
The investigation focuses on Biden’s pardons of his siblings James, Frank, and Valerie, their spouses, and his son Hunter. Biden also commuted the sentences of 37 inmates on death row before leaving office.
Though the Constitution gives presidents broad clemency powers, Martin claims the probe is warranted given recent questions about Biden’s health and a prior cancer diagnosis. Biden's aides insist he was fit to govern.
