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Year: 2025

Comer vows ‘accountability,’ Trump rips ‘scandal’ after bombshell report on Biden autopen pardons

Comer vows ‘accountability,’ Trump rips ‘scandal’ after bombshell report on Biden autopen pardons

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said his panel is wrapping up its investigation into President Joe Biden’s use of the autopen after a new report revealed concerns raised within the former administration itself. “New records reveal President Biden’s own administration raised concerns about autopen use to grant thousands of pardons. This is a historic scandal with massive repercussions,” Comer told Fox News Digital in response to the Axios report. “As President Biden declined, his aides carried out executive actions without his approval, casting doubt on the legitimacy of thousands of pardons and other executive actions.” Comer added, “The House Oversight Committee is in the final stages of its investigation. There must be accountability for this scandal.” BIDEN’S AUTO-PEN PARDONS DISTURBED DOJ BRASS, DOCS SHOW, RAISING QUESTIONS WHETHER THEY ARE LEGALLY BINDING  President Donald Trump weighed in on Truth Social: “THE BIDEN AUTOPEN SCANDAL IS BIG, NOT AS BIG AS THE RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA HOAX, OR THE RIGGED 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, BUT, NEVERTHELESS, ONE OF THE BIGGEST, EVER!!!” A former Biden White House staffer familiar with the pardons process pushed back. “Republicans like to talk about Biden whenever news hits that they don’t want to talk about. Today, they want to talk about Biden because Trump is responsible for the latest jobs report, which is the worst August jobs gain since 2020,” the staffer told Fox News Digital. “What these emails show is a full process to support that decision-making and checks on the use of the autopen.” Axios reported over the weekend that senior Department of Justice (DOJ) officials flagged issues with Biden’s clemency process in his final days in office. Biden approved nearly 2,500 commutations on Jan. 17, just days before leaving the White House, setting a record for most clemency orders ever granted by a U.S. president — more than 4,200 in total — and the most ever in a single day. The next day, DOJ ethics lawyer Bradley Weinsheimer reportedly wrote in a memo: “Unfortunately and despite repeated requests and warnings, we were not afforded a reasonable opportunity to vet and provide input on those you were considering.” Noting that at least one murderer granted clemency had been flagged by DOJ, he added: “I have no idea if the president was aware of these backgrounds when making clemency decisions.” The New York Post first reported details of the memo. Meanwhile, Axios reported that a DOJ pardon attorney took issue with White House lawyers asking the department not to solicit views of murder victims’ families of multiple death row inmates if it had not already done so — including people whose sentences Biden commuted as well. The Axios report further revealed that Biden White House staff secretary Stef Feldman repeatedly sought clarity on the autopen process. In one Jan. 16 email, she asked for details on drug-related clemency orders approved by then-Chief of Staff Jeff Zients. After being asked to use autopen on an executive order, Feldman reportedly wrote: “When did we get [Biden’s] approval of this?” ‘SHOULD BE PROSECUTED’: HOUSE REPUBLICANS ZERO IN ON BIDEN AUTOPEN PARDONS AFTER BOMBSHELL REPORT  The former Biden staffer insisted the process was sound. “The pardon power rests with the president — not the Department of Justice,” the staffer said. “While the DOJ is free to raise its own concerns about pardons, and did before Trump fired all of the career staff who did so, it is ultimately the President’s decision.” Biden himself told The New York Times recently that he made every clemency decision on his own. Zients is expected to testify before the Oversight Committee later this month. Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is also scheduled for a closed-door interview Friday.

New FBI Deputy Director Andrew Bailey begins transition to FBI role alongside Bongino

New FBI Deputy Director Andrew Bailey begins transition to FBI role alongside Bongino

The FBI will welcome a second deputy director for the first time in its history in the coming days after Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey resigned his position on Monday to join the bureau. Bailey will serve as co-deputy director alongside Dan Bongino, with the pair reporting to FBI Director Kash Patel. The unprecedented setup comes as President Donald Trump is placing a new emphasis on federal law enforcement amid his wider crime crackdown. There also has been controversy within the FBI regarding the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, with sources saying Bongino has been deeply frustrated. “As I approach the final hours as your Attorney General, I am profoundly grateful to Missouri, as it has been the honor of my life to serve you,” Bailey wrote on social media Sunday night. “Together, we have accomplished much for the place we call home. Until Missouri calls again, thank you.” Fox News Digital has learned that Bailey is set to start at the FBI next Monday. TRUMP TO DEPLOY MILITARY TO BORDER, END BIDEN PAROLE POLICIES IN FLURRY OF DAY 1 EXECUTIVE ORDERS As Missouri’s AG, Bailey made national headlines opposing former President Joe Biden’s efforts to wipe away student debt. He also worked to curb Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs at multiple major companies, including at Starbucks, which he accused of “race-based hiring” earlier this year. Bailey also spoke up in favor of President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship. Bailey also launched an anti-human trafficking task force and addressed more than 1,100 reported incidents in Missouri, in addition to clearing the backlog of Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence (SAFE) kits to improve prosecution of sexual assault cases. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., hailed Bailey’s hiring in a statement to Fox News Digital on Monday, praising the former prosecutor’s work in his home state. “Andrew Bailey is going to be terrific at the FBI,” Hawley said. “He’s been a stand-out prosecutor for Missouri. Now he will bring all those skills to bear for the country.” FBI’S DAN BONGINO THINKING OF RESIGNING AFTER CLASH WITH AG BONDI: SOURCE U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed Bailey’s hiring last month as Trump launched the federal takeover of Washington, D.C. and his national crime crackdown. “I am thrilled to welcome Andrew Bailey as Co-Deputy Director of the FBI,” Bondi told Fox News Digital. “He has served as a distinguished state attorney general and is a decorated war veteran, bringing expertise and dedication to service. His leadership and commitment to country will be a tremendous asset as we work together to advance President Trump’s mission.”  Bailey’s entry comes after weeks of rumblings within the FBI regarding the Epstein files. Bongino is said to have raised his voice in outrage during a private discussion with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Bondi before storming out of the meeting, according to two sources close to DOJ leadership. The ordeal had led him to consider resigning from the FBI, another source said. 10 REASONS DOJ AND FBI FACE BACKLASH AFTER EPSTEIN FILES FLOP Bongino was frustrated about the rollout of a public Epstein memo in July and what he viewed as Bondi’s “lack of transparency from the start.” The memo, a joint product of the DOJ and FBI, said the two agencies had no further information to share with the public about Epstein’s case, a revelation that sparked fury among the MAGA base. It has been nearly two months since the rumors of Bongino’s potential resignation began, however, and he still remains at the FBI. Fox News’ Ashley Oliver and Brooke Singman contributed to this report