The Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, asserting that former President Joe Biden experienced such severe cognitive decline during his final months in office that pardons and commutations signed via autopen on his behalf may be legally invalid. The committee urged Bondi to investigate whether Biden was aware of the substance of the clemency documents and to consider prosecuting some of his former aides.
According to the committee’s final report, the GOP lawmakers declared that pardons signed by autopen rather than by Biden’s own hand should be considered void. The investigation centered on whether the 82-year-old Biden, who left office as the oldest serving president in U.S. history, possessed the mental capacity to understand and approve the clemency actions attributed to him.
The committee’s concerns about Biden’s mental fitness intensified following his prostate cancer diagnosis in May 2025. Biden’s office announced that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer characterized by a Gleason score of 9 with metastasis to the bone. The cancer discovery came after Biden experienced increasing urinary symptoms and doctors found a small nodule on his prostate during examination.
Biden’s health became a central issue during the 2024 presidential campaign. Questions about his mental acuity mounted after a June 27, 2024, debate performance against Republican candidate Donald Trump, where Biden appeared halting and struggled through the event. Biden later told ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos that it was simply a bad episode, explaining he was exhausted and failed to listen to his instincts regarding preparation.
The former president ultimately withdrew from the 2024 race, making way for Vice President Kamala Harris to become the Democratic nominee. Despite stepping down, Biden has consistently denied experiencing cognitive decline. During a May 2025 appearance on The View, he rejected claims about his mental state, asserting there was nothing to sustain such allegations.
Throughout his presidency, Biden’s physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor conducted regular physical examinations. In his February 2024 assessment, O’Connor described Biden as “a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male, who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief.” That examination revealed Biden was being treated for multiple conditions including non-valvular atrial fibrillation, hyperlipidemia, gastroesophageal reflux, seasonal allergies, spinal arthritis and sensory peripheral neuropathy in both feet.
The February 2024 physical also noted that Biden had begun using positive airway pressure during sleep after a formal study confirmed he would benefit from optimizing his sleep efficiency. O’Connor indicated that sleep apnea symptoms Biden experienced in the past warranted the intervention, given the importance of efficient sleep for a senior executive.
Biden’s medical history during his presidency included several notable incidents. In November 2020, shortly after winning the election, he fractured his foot while chasing his dog Major at his Wilmington, Delaware, home. The injury required him to use a walking boot while healing. In July 2022, he tested positive for COVID-19 for the first time, experiencing mild symptoms and later reporting a rebound case after treatment with Paxlovid.
The former president also dealt with cancer concerns during his term. In February 2023, doctors removed a lesion from Biden’s chest during his annual physical. The following month, O’Connor confirmed the biopsy showed basal cell carcinoma, though all cancerous tissue was successfully removed and no further treatment was required.
The prostate cancer diagnosis Biden received in May 2025 proved more serious. Medical experts noted that his Gleason score of 9 indicated an aggressive cancer with higher likelihood of growth and spread. The cancer’s spread to his bones classified it as stage 4, making it incurable though treatable. Dr. Chris George from Northwestern Medicine explained that hormonal therapy would likely be the primary treatment option and that Biden could live for years if he responds well to treatment.
Biden received bipartisan support following his cancer announcement. President Trump wrote on Truth Social that he and first lady Melania Trump were saddened by the news and extended their warmest wishes to the Biden family. Former President Barack Obama credited Biden for spearheading efforts to reduce cancer deaths through the Cancer Moonshot initiative.
The House Oversight Committee’s letter to Bondi represents the latest development in ongoing scrutiny of Biden’s final months in office. The GOP-led investigation focused specifically on the legal validity of presidential pardons signed by autopen rather than personally by Biden, raising constitutional questions about the exercise of executive clemency powers during periods of alleged diminished capacity.
