Overview

• Biden told The New York Times he personally set standards for clemency decisions but authorized staff to use an autopen for 25 warrants because of the high volume of cases
• On July 15 the White House counsel launched an internal inquiry expected to sift through roughly one million documents related to autopen usage
• The Department of Justice and House Oversight Committee continue separate investigations into whether aides executed clemency warrants without proper presidential sign-off or concealed concerns about Biden’s fitness
• Internal emails reviewed by investigators show aides documented Biden’s verbal approvals in meetings before staff secretary Stefanie Feldman ran final clemency lists through the autopen
• President Trump and GOP leaders have challenged the constitutional validity of autopen-signed pardons and urged invalidation of some clemencies, a claim Biden has forcefully rejected