Joe Biden didn’t just check out of the Oval Office in his final days — he handed over one of the gravest powers a president holds, the pardon pen, to an autopen run by his unelected aides. And according to newly uncovered DOJ emails, even his own Justice Department officials were horrified by what came next: thousands of pardons signed without vetting, including clemency for cop killers, gang members, and child murderers.
The emails, released by DOJ official Ed Martin, show that top department lawyers flagged the final wave of pardons — nearly 2,500 in total — as “highly problematic” just days before Biden left office. The warrants were not signed by Biden himself, but by an autopen controlled by senior aides, including Neera Tanden, Jeff Zients, and Stephanie Feldman. Biden has since admitted he did not personally review or approve the pardons, a delegation of presidential power that is not legally permissible.
One senior DOJ official, Associate Deputy Attorney General Bradley Weinsheimer, specifically objected to vague and sweeping language in the warrants. He warned that the wording could extend clemency to violent criminals — including cop killers, child murderers, and gang members — in direct conflict with what the administration publicly claimed.
See the email thread for yourself:
The Biden White House told the public the pardons covered “non-violent drug offenders.” But Weinsheimer flatly contradicted that, writing that “it is not close to accurate to describe all the clemency recipients as those convicted of non-violent drug offenses.”
In fact, Weinsheimer cited cases where individuals convicted of killing police officers, murdering witnesses and their children, and hiring contract killers were included in the autopen pardons. He also emphasized that the Justice Department had been deliberately cut out of the normal vetting process, despite “voluminous objections” from victims’ families.
So concerned was Weinsheimer that he requested a direct clarification from the president himself — a highly unusual step — to ensure Biden’s intent was properly documented. That request was ignored. The administration moved ahead, releasing violent offenders back onto America’s streets.
The core problem remains: Biden’s aides, not the president, wielded the autopen to sign warrants carrying the force of law, pardoning thousands without proper review. The result was the release of criminals the DOJ itself had deemed too dangerous, while the White House misled the public about the true scope of those pardons.
In the end, the Biden White House didn’t just bypass the Constitution by outsourcing presidential pardons to unelected aides. They also ignored explicit warnings from their own Justice Department and released some of the most violent offenders in federal custody — people who killed cops, executed witnesses, and terrorized communities. The autopen wasn’t just a technical scandal. It was a reckless abuse of power that has put the public at risk. And now, thanks to Biden’s team, those criminals are walking free.