Attorney General Pam Bondi just dropped a bombshell that’s got Washington buzzing with questions about the legitimacy of Joe Biden’s presidential pardons, as Newsweek reports.
The Department of Justice, under Bondi’s leadership, announced a review of Biden’s use of an autopen for granting pardons, following a scathing report from House Republicans alleging a troubling decline in his mental sharpness and unauthorized actions by his inner circle.
On Tuesday, October 28, 2025, Bondi took to X to confirm that her team is digging into these claims, signaling a deep dive into executive actions that many conservatives have long suspected were questionable at best.
House Republicans, on the same day, released a detailed report asserting that Biden’s mental state deteriorated to the point where advisors allegedly signed off on pardons without his direct knowledge.
The report zerosed in on high-profile pardons, including those for Biden’s son, Hunter, and brother, James, drawing from depositions with close aides who painted a concerning picture of behind-the-scenes maneuvering.
Compiled over months before a government shutdown, this document—based on interviews with over a dozen insiders—suggests a potential cover-up of Biden’s cognitive struggles, though it leans heavily on speculation rather than hard evidence.
According to the Department of Justice, Biden issued pardons to 75 individuals during his term, with over a dozen coming on his last full day in office—a timing that raises eyebrows among those skeptical of last-minute executive moves.
The Republican report doesn’t hold back, targeting Biden’s doctor, Kevin O’Connor, and senior aides Anthony Bernal and Annie Tomasini, all of whom refused to testify by invoking their Fifth Amendment rights.
It even goes as far as urging the D.C. Board of Medicine to discipline O’Connor, potentially revoking his license, for allegedly concealing the true state of Biden’s health—an accusation that’s sure to fuel further debate.
House Speaker Mike Johnson didn’t mince words, telling reporters on October 28, 2025, “No previous president had an autopen, or had the audacity to have people signing things on their behalf when they didn't even know what was in it.”
Johnson’s frustration resonates with many who believe that executive accountability shouldn’t be a partisan issue, yet one wonders if this precedent-chasing zeal might boomerang on future administrations with similar practices.
Representative James Comer, chair of the House Oversight Committee, echoed this sentiment, stating, “The Biden Autopen Presidency will go down as one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history.”
Democrats, predictably, aren’t buying the narrative, with House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Robert Garcia dismissing the probe as a distraction from more pressing issues like healthcare access for millions of Americans.
Legal experts and Democratic allies have also cautioned that this kind of broad scrutiny into executive actions could set a dangerous precedent, potentially haunting the current administration down the road with similar investigations.
Meanwhile, Biden himself has called the allegations “ridiculous and false,” steadfastly denying any lack of awareness regarding his administration’s decisions—a defense that, to some, feels more like deflection than reassurance.
