Former President Joe Biden's last-minute pardons have sparked a firestorm in Washington, with critics raising serious concerns about his mental state and the legitimacy of documents signed using an automated pen device.

According to Fox News, the Justice Department has launched a review of Biden's pardons amid new concerns about his use of an autopen to automatically sign documents and questions about his mental acuity during his final months in office.

Biden used his final weeks as commander-in-chief to grant clemency and pardon more than 1,500 individuals in what his White House described as the largest single-day act of clemency by a U.S. president. Critics have blasted Biden for some of the pardons and preemptive pardons for members of his family, inner circle, and allies amid concerns that the Trump administration would investigate and attempt to punish their actions. While Biden signed his son Hunter's pardon by hand, the others appear to have been signed by autopen, raising questions about the validity of these presidential documents.

Hunter Biden receives unprecedented pardon

Former President Biden pardoned his son Hunter in December 2024 after vowing to the American people for months that he would not do so. Hunter Biden was found guilty of three felony firearm offenses stemming from Special Counsel David Weiss' investigation and was also charged with federal tax crimes regarding the failure to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes.

The December 2024 announcement included a blanket pardon that applies to any offenses against the United States that Hunter Biden "has committed or may have committed" from January 1, 2014, to December 1, 2024. This sweeping pardon covers more than a decade of potential criminal activity, far exceeding the scope of typical presidential pardons.

Biden defended his decision by claiming his son was being "selectively and unfairly prosecuted." He stated that there had been "an effort to break Hunter" and expressed hope that Americans would understand why "a father and a president would come to this decision."

Biden family members receive blanket protection

Just one day before leaving office on January 20, 2025, Biden signed an executive grant of clemency for multiple family members using what appears to be an autopen signature. The recipients included his brother James and his brother's wife Sarah Jones Biden, his sister Valerie Biden Owens and her husband John T. Owens, and his brother Francis W. Biden.

These "full and unconditional" preemptive pardons covered "any nonviolent offenses against the United States which they may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014, through the date of this pardon." Members of the Biden family had fallen at the center of congressional investigations into their business dealings during Biden's time as vice president.

Congressional investigators found that the Biden family and its associates had received more than $27 million from foreign individuals or entities since 2014. The House of Representatives launched an impeachment inquiry against Biden, finding that he committed "impeachable conduct" during his time as vice president and "defrauded the United States to enrich his family."

High-profile officials receive last-minute pardons

Biden also pardoned several high-profile government officials on January 19, 2025, including General Mark Milley, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Milley had admitted that the Afghanistan withdrawal, where 13 U.S. troops lost their lives, was a "strategic failure," making his pardon particularly controversial among critics of the administration's foreign policy decisions.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Biden's chief medical advisor, also received a pardon on the same day. Fauci oversaw the U.S. public health response and research on the COVID-19 virus and vaccine development, becoming a polarizing figure during the pandemic response.

Fauci accepted the pardon while claiming he was subject to "politically motivated threats of investigation and prosecution." He insisted that he had "committed no crime" but acknowledged that "the mere articulation of these baseless threats" created "immeasurable and intolerable distress" for him and his family.

Investigation targets autopen controversy

President Trump has ordered an investigation into Biden's alleged use of autopen technology for signing official presidential documents, including pardons. The Justice Department is now reviewing the legitimacy of pardons that appear to have been signed using the automated signing device rather than Biden's personal signature.

Biden also pardoned members of Congress who served on the House Select Committee to investigate the January 6, 2021, riot in the United States Capitol, along with committee staff and police officers who testified before the committee. These pardons were also reportedly signed using autopen technology, raising additional questions about their legal validity.

The controversy has intensified calls for congressional subpoenas and further investigation into Biden's final actions as president. Critics argue that the combination of controversial pardon recipients and questionable signing methods undermines the integrity of the presidential clemency process and demands thorough scrutiny from federal investigators.