Biden's Clemency Decisions Under Scrutiny as Comer Questions Autopen Use

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has raised concerns regarding President Biden's recent statements claiming he personally handled all clemency decisions for more than 2,500 individuals. In a New York Times interview, Biden defended his clemency choices, which included pardons for family members and significant figures like Dr. Anthony Fauci and General Mark Milley. However, the article also clarified that Biden was not involved in approving each individual line item for clemency but rather sanctioned broad categories suggested by his staff.

Comer pointed out that new reports indicate that Biden's White House staff may have executed executive actions without securing the president’s direct approval. He stated that the House Oversight Committee is committed to uncovering details about what he termed a "historic scandal," aimed at curtailing future abuses of power. Additionally, there are ongoing inquiries into the potential cover-up concerning Biden’s acknowledged mental decline during his time in office, alongside former President Trump’s direction for the Justice Department to investigate the use of the autopen during Biden's presidency.

In his interview, Biden mentioned that his staff did not read out every name of those pardoned but instead presented broad categories for his approval. He provided an example concerning the decision around General Milley, highlighting the dangers posed by Trump's vindictiveness. Biden insisted that he was significantly involved in establishing a strategy for handling clemency and emphasized that he had made all the ultimate decisions, including the broad categories laid out for the process. He also defended the legality of the autopen, noting that past presidents, including Trump, had similarly utilized it.