Trump administration reviews Biden pardon orders.
A senior Justice Department official said he had been ordered to investigate pardons issued by Joe Biden in the final days of his presidency.
The investigation is focused on whether Biden used an “Autopen,” or signing machine, to issue pardons and whether the individuals he pardoned were eligible to receive them, the Justice Department’s pardon attorney wrote in an email seen by Reuters.
The “Autopen” is a device used by a president to sign an executive order. Trump and his supporters have long alleged that Biden used the device while his actions were unauthorized or not fully aware of what he was doing. It is not clear whether Biden used the Autopen to issue the pardons.
The email said Martin’s investigation is focused on Biden’s preventive pardons for some of his family members and the commutation of death sentences for 37 inmates to long prison terms.