The probe centers on whether Biden knowingly approved the pardons or if aides exploited his condition by using an autopen—an automatic signature device.
Former President Donald Trump has opened an investigation into Joe Biden’s “competency” during the final days of his presidency, focusing on a series of controversial pardons.
The probe centers on whether Biden knowingly approved the pardons or if aides exploited his condition by using an autopen—an automatic signature device.
Ed Martin, Trump’s pardon attorney, said the inquiry will determine if Biden “was competent” and if “people were taking advantage of him through use of AutoPen or other means.”
Among those pardoned were 37 death-row inmates and five of Biden’s family members, including his siblings and their spouses.
The most high-profile pardon was issued to his son, Hunter Biden, in December, following convictions for tax violations and illegal firearm possession.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has also demanded a federal probe, citing Biden’s “mental decline.”
“If you use the autopen for pardon power, I don’t think that that’s necessarily a problem,” Martin noted, though questions remain over the legitimacy of the signatures.