Trump admin orders probe into Biden's 'competency' over pardons issued in his final days in office
The Donald Trump administration has launched an investigation into whether former US President Joe Biden was "competent" or being taken advantage of during his final days in office.
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Ed Martin, Trump's pardon attorney, said the Justice Department (DoJ) has been ordered to investigate clemency granted by Biden in the final days of his presidency.
It comes amid claims that the 82-year-old used an autopen to issue pardons to family members and inmates on death row.
They include the pardoning of his son Hunter - who was due to face sentencing on federal felony gun and tax convictions in December 2024.
They also include the 37 federal inmates who avoided the death penalty thanks to Biden, who switched their sentences to life in prison.
The fresh probe was revealed in a email to staffers that was obtained by Reuters.
The DoJ has been told to investigate whether the former president "was competent and whether others were taking advantage of him through use of AutoPen or other means."
An autopen is a device which automatically affixes a signature to a document.
Read more: Former President Joe Biden delivers first public speech since cancer diagnosis
Martin's emails have not clarified which specific pardons are being investigated.
But Trump and his allies have made a flurry of allegations that Biden's use of the device suggests he was not fully aware of these actions - making them "void, vacant and of no further force or effect."
However, it is not clear whether Biden really did use autopen to issue pardons.
Who Martin to lead the probe also remains unclear.
Biden, who is the oldest person to ever serve as president, left office in January following President Trump's victory in the US election.
Last week, GOP senators announced they will hold a hearing on what they’re calling Biden’s “cognitive decline while in office and the mainstream media’s subsequent coverup.”
It will be the first full congressional committee hearing on the topic.
A statement from Biden's office earlier this month confirmed he was diagnosed with an advanced form of cancer that has spread to his bones.
"Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms," the statement read.
"On Friday he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterised by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.
"While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.
"The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians."