Biden will be speaking publicly for the first time since cancer diagnosis
Former President Joe Biden gave his first public speech at an anniversary event in Delaware since the cancer diagnosis was announced.
- Presidents, including Trump, have been using autopens for decades. As the previous president did, there is no law prohibiting the use of autopens for pardons.
- The pardon went to Biden’s brothers James Biden, Frank Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, and their spouses John Owens and Sarah Biden.
- On the 2023 campaign trail, Trump faced four criminal charges, but vowed to appoint a special prosecutor if he was re-elected to “take” President Biden and his family.
President Donald Trump’s Justice Department is investigating the pardon issued by former President Joe Biden on the last day of his presidency. This comes amid the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into the former president’s mental decline and alleged use of an autopen, the White House confirmed on June 3.
According to Reuters, Justice Department pardon lawyer Ed Martin told staff on June 2 that he was instructed to investigate the tolerance and pardon given on the day Democrat Biden declined to the presidency and death row inmates.
In an email seen by Reuters, the investigation will focus on whether Biden is “competent and whether others are using him using an autopen or other means.”
Autoopen is a device that mechanically replicates signatures.
Presidents, including Trump, have been using autopens for decades. As the previous president did, there is no law prohibiting the use of autopens for pardons.
During a June 3 press conference, White House spokesman Caroline Leavitt said the question was not whether the autopen was used.
“It’s obviously illegal behaviour if the US president knew that it was being used and if not, who used it in his name,” Levitt said.
There is no evidence to suggest that anyone used the autopen without Biden’s knowledge.
On January 20th, the final day of his presidency, Biden relented his brother and his spouse, saying his family was “stricken by merciless assaults and threats motivated solely by his desire to hurt me.”
On the 2023 campaign trail, Trump faced four criminal charges, but vowed to appoint a special prosecutor if he was re-elected to “take” President Biden and his family.
The pardon went to Biden’s brothers James Biden, Frank Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, and their spouses John Owens and Sarah Biden. On December 1, Biden forgives his son Hunter Biden, who pleaded guilty to a tax violation, and was found guilty of firearms-related charges.
A Biden spokesperson declined to comment on the development.
The 82-year-old Democrat announced last month that he had been diagnosed with “aggressive” Stage 4 prostate cancer. Biden’s mental health questions were publicly scrutinized during a June presidential debate with presidential candidate Donald Trump, raising questions about the happiness of Democrats, who eventually dropped out of the White House race that paved the way for then-President Vies Kamala Harris.
On May 22, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Kommer (Ky. -R) wrote to Biden’s doctors and former White House aides, demanding that he appear in a transcribed interview as part of an investigation into Biden’s health and use of an autopen.
The stated purpose of the investigation is to “reveal the truth” about Biden’s “mental decline and possible misuse of autopen for sweep and other enforcement actions.”
The letter seeking testimony was sent to staff including former female Anthony Bernal, former director of the National Council of Policy Neela Tanden, and former senior adviser of former deputy chiefs of staff Annie Tomasini.
Martin, a DOJ official who wrote to staff, took over as a lawyer attorney after being pulled by Trump in early May after appointing director of the arms work division, associate attorney general and a US lawyer for Washington, D.C. Martin failed to gain enough Republican support from Capitol Hill as he defended Trump supporters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 to overturn the 2020 election.
Last week, White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt asked former First Lady Jill Biden to talk about her husband’s alleged mental decline, saying she was “conspiratoring” in “concealment.”
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House correspondent for USA Today. x You can follow her at @swapnavenugopal
