Former President Joe Biden admitted he did not personally review each case involved in his sweeping final-month pardons and clemency actions — and instead relied on staff and an autopen machine to sign off on thousands of criminal releases.
According to a Sunday report by The New York Times, Biden “did not individually approve each name” involved in his categorical pardons, which included 2,500 drug offenders, over 1,500 COVID-era home confinement cases, and political figures such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, Gen. Mark Milley, members of the January 6 Committee, and his own son, Hunter Biden.
Rather than signing each case personally, the Times revealed Biden authorized general standards in staff meetings and allowed aides — particularly staff secretary Stefanie Feldman — to finalize the decisions using an autopen device. An unnamed aide told the Times that when inmate lists were updated by the Bureau of Prisons, Biden was not consulted on each revision. Instead, staff simply waited for the final list and had the autopen affix Biden’s signature.
While Biden has claimed he “made every single one of those” decisions, congressional Republicans have launched investigations into whether all the clemency actions had legitimate presidential approval — especially given Biden’s apparent detachment from the actual review process.
President Donald Trump has called the mass pardons “abuses of power,” pointing to Biden’s pardon of his son and top political allies while bypassing standard Justice Department procedures.
The controversy has grown further as White House physician Kevin O’Connor refused to answer congressional questions last week related to Biden’s health, cognitive capacity, and his use of the autopen, citing Fifth Amendment rights and doctor-patient confidentiality.
Biden’s defenders claim the process was legally valid, noting that past presidents have also used autopen signatures. But critics argue Biden’s lack of personal involvement — especially in high-profile or politically sensitive pardons — raises serious constitutional and ethical concerns about whether these actions were truly his.
With investigations underway, questions now swirl around the legality of blanket pardons executed via autopen and whether Biden’s health or awareness played a role in how these last-minute clemency actions were carried out.