Trump request DOJ to investigate Biden's era pardons
Trump also questions Biden's mental state during his final months in office, when he pardoned his son, Hunter Biden
President Donald Trump requested the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate pardons given during Joe Biden's last administration. Trump showed his worry about the former President using an "AutoPen" to automatically sign pardons.
According to a letter sent to the DOJ, the President is also concerned about Biden's state of mind in his final months in office because during that time, the Democrat pardoned his own son, Hunter Biden, and 35 death row inmates whose sentences were changed to life imprisonment.
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Many pardons for the Biden family
According to Reuters, before January 20, Biden pardoned five members of his family. The former President said that he gave the pardons to them to protect them from politically motivated investigations by Donald Trump. His family members include siblings James Biden, Frank Biden, and Valerie Biden Owens, as well as their spouses, John Owens and Sara Biden.
AutoPen is a way to automatically sign documents without the intervention of the owner. President Trump has made a variety of claims that Biden used this device while he was incapacitated due to his cancer diagnosis. However, it is not known whether he used the AutoPen on pardons.
Hunter Biden, son of the former President, received the pardon in December 2024, a month before Trump took office. Photo: AFP News
Trump has given more than 1,500 pardons in his first year in office
Last week, Donald Trump pardoned the former TV show stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, revoking their sentences and debts entirely. This is one of the 58 pardons that the President has given to his supporters because the couple’s daughter, Savannah, joined Trump's last campaign alongside Lara Trump. That makes Trump the President who gave the most pardons in his first year of administration.
Despite these pardons, Trump's administration has given more than 1,500 pardons to people involved in the Capitol assault on January 6, 2021. Most of them attempted to storm the Capitol in Washington, claiming that the elections were stolen and Trump was the rightful winner. All indications are that the number of pardons will continue to grow.
