A senior official from the Justice Department under Republican President Donald Trump informed staff on Monday that he has been instructed to look into the clemency granted by Democrat Joe Biden during the final days of his presidency to certain family members and death row inmates.
Ed Martin, the pardon attorney at the Justice Department, mentioned in an email reviewed by Reuters that the investigation is centered on whether Biden “was competent and if others were exploiting him through the use of AutoPen or other methods.”
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An autopen is a machine designed to automatically sign documents. Trump and his allies have made various baseless allegations that Biden’s use of this device while in office rendered his actions invalid or implied that he was not fully aware of them. It remains unclear if Biden utilized the autopen for pardons.
The email indicated that Martin’s investigation is concentrating on the preemptive pardons Biden granted to several family members and the clemency that saved 37 federal inmates from execution, changing their sentences to life imprisonment.
Right before handing over the presidency to Trump on January 20, Biden pardoned five family members, stating his intention to shield them from future politically motivated inquiries. The pardons were granted to Biden’s siblings James Biden, Frank Biden, and Valerie Biden Owens, along with their spouses, John Owens and Sara Biden. On December 1, Biden also pardoned his son Hunter Biden, who had admitted guilt to tax offenses and was convicted on charges related to firearms.
Martin’s email did not clarify which pardons of Biden’s family members are under investigation, nor did it specify who instructed Martin to initiate the inquiry.
Source: HotFmOnline.com
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