• Trump's Justice Department is investigating pardons granted by Biden during his presidency.
• The investigation will assess Biden's mental competency at the time of issuing pardons.
• Pardons include those for family members and 37 federal inmates on death row.
• Concerns have been raised about the use of the autopen in signing these pardons.
• No evidence has confirmed Biden’s use of the autopen for any of the pardons issued.

A senior official from the U.S. Department of Justice has initiated an investigation into the pardons granted by President Joe Biden during the final days of his presidency. The internal email from Ed Martin, the pardon attorney, indicated that the probe would investigate Biden's mental competency and if others may have exploited him, potentially using an autopen—a device that automatically replicates a signature. This scrutiny is informed by ongoing concerns regarding Biden’s health, particularly following his cancer diagnosis, and a narrative that has gained traction among Trump supporters, suggesting that the president's awareness during these pardons was compromised, according to Reuters and India Times.

The pardons under investigation include actions that spared 37 federal inmates from execution and preemptive pardons for five of Biden's family members. These family members include his siblings and their spouses, with Biden stating intentions to shield them from what he described as politically motivated investigations. The interpretation of Biden's use of the autopen has led to questions about the legitimacy of these decisions, as no substantiated evidence has been presented to confirm its use during the pardons, as reported by Reuters, India Times, and Newsweek.

While Martin, the Justice Department official, acknowledges that the presidential pardon power is broad, he emphasized the necessity for scrutiny over Biden's pardoning actions. This examination appears to align strategically with ongoing discussions about Biden's mental acuity, which have intensified in recent weeks through various media reports. Biden has faced increasing skepticism about his capacity to govern effectively, yet his aides continue to assert his ability to make informed decisions, highlighting the complex political landscape surrounding these pardons, according to Reuters, India Times, and Newsweek.