Biden’s hand-signed pardon for his son fuels scrutiny over mental fitness, autopen use, and DOJ criticism.

Exclusive Clemency Sparks Ethical, Legal Backlash

Former President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter in December 2024—his only hand-signed pardon during a wave of clemency—has ignited fierce political and legal backlash. While Biden granted more than 1,500 pardons in his final weeks in office using an autopen, the handwritten signature on Hunter’s pardon is drawing particular attention amid wider concerns about Biden’s mental acuity and the integrity of the Justice Department.

The pardon extended blanket protection to Hunter Biden for any federal offenses he “has committed or may have committed” between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024. Hunter had been convicted of three felony gun charges and had also faced tax allegations tied to unpaid federal income taxes totaling over $1.4 million.

“I said I would not interfere with DOJ decision-making,” Biden stated, defending the move. “But enough is enough. In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me. I hope Americans understand why a father and president would make this decision.”

Justice Department Rebukes Biden’s Accusations

Special Counsel David Weiss, who led the investigation into Hunter Biden, strongly criticized the pardon and the former president’s public statements describing the prosecution as “selective” and “infected by politics.” Weiss called Biden’s comments “gratuitous and wrong,” stating that no other president had used a family pardon to disparage DOJ prosecutors based on what he termed “false accusations.”

Weiss emphasized that political attacks against career prosecutors undermine public confidence in the justice system. With the pardon in place, he confirmed no further charges could be pursued and deemed further comment inappropriate.

“The President’s characterizations are incorrect based on the facts in this case, and, on a more fundamental level, they are wrong,” Weiss wrote.

Autopen Use Raises Constitutional Concerns

The controversy has intensified as the Department of Justice, under directive from President Donald Trump, opens an investigation into Biden’s use of an autopen for official presidential actions. Attorney General Pam Bondi is reviewing whether Biden’s aides exploited the autopen to exercise Article II powers in his name while concealing signs of cognitive decline.

Trump argued in a memo Wednesday that Biden’s signature—used across thousands of documents, including appointments and policy directives—was misused to implement radical agendas without genuine presidential oversight. “This conspiracy marks one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history,” Trump wrote.

According to Trump, Biden’s mental deterioration was “worse in private,” prompting aides to tightly script public appearances and restrict access. He accused advisors of shielding Biden’s condition from the public while unlawfully deploying his authority through mechanical signatures.

Bondi’s investigation is expected to examine both the procedural legality and the ethical ramifications of autopen-enabled governance, as questions mount over who truly exercised executive power during the final months of Biden’s presidency.

The overlapping controversies—Hunter’s pardon, Biden’s cognitive state, and the use of mechanical signatures—are likely to remain central to the national political conversation as the Trump administration pursues a broader inquiry into constitutional accountability and executive authority.