Washington has always had a flair for drama, but the latest act coming out of D.C. might be its most audacious yet. As the Trump administration settles back into the business of running the country, it’s finding more than a few skeletons in the closets—and quite possibly, a robotic pen with a suspiciously busy signature schedule.
At the center of this latest scandal is an investigation launched by the Department of Justice into a series of last-minute pardons issued by former President Joe Biden. And this isn’t just about questionable decisions—it’s about whether Biden himself was even mentally present for them.
Recently appointed Pardon Attorney Ed Martin has kicked off a formal probe into what critics are calling a “clemency free-for-all” in the waning hours of the Biden presidency. The real kicker? Investigators are trying to determine whether Biden was competent during the process—or if his signature was mechanically rubber-stamped through an AutoPen without his direct knowledge or consent.
According to an email obtained by Reuters, Martin’s office is investigating whether Biden “was competent and whether others were taking advantage of him through use of AutoPen or other means.” In other words, were Biden’s final acts of presidential mercy actually his? Or was someone else—possibly unelected, unaccountable, and unnamed—making those calls?
The list of names tied to the clemency decisions reads more like a who’s-who of the political elite and Biden family tree. Among the pardoned: Hunter Biden, who had been awaiting sentencing on federal firearm charges. Not far behind were James Biden and Valerie Biden Owens—Joe’s brother and sister, respectively—plus their spouses.
But wait, there’s more. Dr. Anthony Fauci, former Joint Chiefs Chair Mark Milley, and January 6 Committee darlings Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger also made the clemency cut. Toss in 37 death row inmates and more than 1,500 others—many convicted of major fraud—and you’ve got what looks suspiciously like a political clean-up operation disguised as a humanitarian gesture.
This didn’t sit well with President Trump. Back in March, he called the pardons “VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT,” arguing that they were executed by AutoPen and not Biden himself. Trump emphasized the larger concern: “Joe Biden did not sign them but, more importantly, he did not know anything about them!”
If true, this revelation raises serious constitutional questions. Who was really making decisions during Biden’s final months in office? Who decided Hunter Biden should walk? And who greenlit pardons for convicted fraudsters?
House Oversight Chairman James Comer has pledged to get answers. He plans to call in staffers who had access to or authority over the AutoPen, seeking clarity on who wielded that power during Biden’s apparent mental decline. Comer put it bluntly: “We’re going to find out who was actually making the decisions in the White House during the last nine months of the Biden administration.”
Critics have long suspected that the real levers of power during Biden’s presidency weren’t in his hands at all. From bungled border policies to foreign affairs missteps, many have wondered aloud if Biden was the one calling the shots—or if others were simply using his title to push their own agenda.
This DOJ investigation may finally begin to peel back the curtain.
While Democrats are quick to call the probe political, the stakes go far beyond partisanship. Presidential pardons carry enormous weight. They can reverse years of court decisions and wipe out serious convictions. Americans deserve to know those decisions weren’t outsourced to a machine—or worse, to political operatives working behind the scenes.
This is about more than cleaning up after the last administration. It’s about reestablishing trust in the office of the President. Because if the Oval Office can be reduced to a signature machine operated by shadowy staffers, what does that say about the integrity of the entire executive branch?
It’s time to find out who was really signing—and deciding—during Biden’s final days. The American people deserve answers.
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