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DOJ continues Biden autopen probe despite former president being unlikely to face charges
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The Department of Justice (DOJ) is continuing its investigation into former President Joe Biden’s use of an autopen in the final months of his administration — focusing on pardons and commutations — though a senior official said Biden himself is unlikely to face criminal exposure.
A senior DOJ official told Fox News that the autopen investigation is ongoing and not closed, adding that investigators are reviewing clemency actions taken in the final months of the Biden administration.
The official also pointed out, however, that the use of an autopen by a sitting president is «established law.»
The issue under review is whether the autopen was used in violation of the law — specifically, whether Biden personally approved each name included on pardon and commutation lists.
A framed portrait shows former President Joe Biden’s signature and an autopen along «The Presidential Walk of Fame» outside the Oval Office of the White House. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
«These types of cases are tough, executive privilege issues come into play,» the official said.
What is also clear, the official indicated, is that the target of any potential prosecution would not likely be Biden.
«It’s hard to imagine how [Biden] could be criminally liable for pardon power,» the senior DOJ official said.
BIDEN’S AUTO-PEN PARDONS DISTURBED DOJ BRASS, DOCS SHOW, RAISING QUESTIONS WHETHER THEY ARE LEGALLY BINDING
The use of the autopen by former President Joe Biden remains under investigation. (AP Photo)
The official noted that one reason the former president would be unlikely to face charges stems from a 2024 Supreme Court ruling that originally involved President Donald Trump, the current sitting president, but would also apply to Biden.
«We conclude that under our constitutional structure of separated powers, the nature of Presidential power requires that a former President have some immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts during his tenure in office,» the Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. United States in 2024. «At least with respect to the President’s exercise of his core constitutional powers, this immunity must be absolute.»
Sources familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s team continues to review the Biden White House’s reliance on an autopen, contradicting a recent New York Times report that indicated the investigation had been paused.
DOJ SIGNALS IT’S STILL DIGGING INTO BIDEN AUTOPEN USE DESPITE REPORTS PROBE FIZZLED
President Donald Trump has pushed for consequences tied to former President Joe Biden’s alleged use of the autopen. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
Trump has pushed for consequences tied to the autopen controversy, alleging on social media that aides acted unlawfully in its use and raising the prospect of perjury charges against Biden.
Biden has rejected those claims, saying in a statement last year that he personally directed the decisions in question.
«Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency,» Biden said. «I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false.»
The House Oversight Committee has homed in on Biden’s clemency actions, including five controversial pardons for family members in the final days of his presidency, citing what it described as a lack of «contemporaneous documentation» confirming that Biden directly ordered the pardons.
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The committee asked the DOJ to investigate «all of former President Biden’s executive actions, particularly clemency actions, to assess whether legal action must be taken to void any action that the former president did not, in fact, take himself.»
Fox News Digital’s Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.
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Lionel Messi visitó con Inter Miami a Donald Trump: la comparación con Pelé y los elogios del presidente para Mascherano, Suárez y De Paul
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Private flights account for 30% of departures from Oman airport as wealthy evacuate Middle East
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Long border crossings, SUV convoys and six-figure jet charters have become the new escape route out of the Middle East as Operation Epic Fury intensifies, with private flights now accounting for nearly a third of all departures from Oman’s main airport.
FlightRadar24, a real-time flight tracking platform, reported that while Oman continues to be a «vital» hub for evacuation and repatriation flights, private flights accounted for 31% of operations Wednesday at Muscat International Airport.
As of Thursday afternoon, the platform reported more than 30% of all movements at the airport were private flights.
Semafor reported earlier this week that airports in Oman and Saudi Arabia were drawing ultra-wealthy travelers looking to leave the countries.
Oman continues to be a «vital» hub for evacuation flights at its Muscat International Airport. (Christopher Pike/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
People familiar with the matter told the outlet that private security companies have been booking fleets of SUVs to take people on the 10-hour drive from Dubai to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where private flights are available.
The clientele evacuating the region are a mix of senior executives at global finance firms and wealthy travelers in the region for business or vacation, according to Semafor.
LIV golfer Jon Rahm, a two-time major winner, was just one of the wealthy who arranged flights amid the turmoil.
MIDDLE EAST CRUISE NIGHTMARE DEEPENS AS IRAN AIRSTRIKES LEAVE PASSENGERS STRANDED
Rahm arranged a charter flight through his partnership with VistaJet, a private aviation company, to fly the seven stranded LIV golfers and a caddie from Oman to Hong Kong after their flights were canceled.
After a more than four-hour drive to Oman, the crew flew to Hong Kong.
A spokesperson for Air Charter Service, a company that acts as a global broker for private jets and freight transport, told FOX Business the company has arranged more than 10 evacuation flights, with more scheduled, mainly out of Oman with passengers looking to flee Dubai.
AMERICAN STUCK IN MIDDLE EAST ESCAPES IN RACE TO REACH CRITICALLY ILL HUSBAND IN CALIFORNIA
FlightRadar24 shared flights flying in and out of Muscat airport. (@Flightradar24 via X)
«We evacuated some of our own staff who were just visiting the region, and we arranged transport via the Hatta crossing into Oman from the UAE to get them to Muscat from where they flew out of the region,» the spokesperson said. «The border crossing time at Hatta took around 3–4 hours, as of Sunday, but I suspect this has increased now, as more people look at this option.»
Light flight jet trips from Muscat, Oman, to Istanbul, Turkey, are reportedly going for more than $93,000, according to Forbes, which said the price was about double the usual rate.
The outlet added the same route on heavy jets can cost up to $140,000.
AMERICANS IN MORE THAN A DOZEN MIDDLE EAST NATIONS URGED TO FLEE
This map shows the targets of Iran’s retaliatory strikes. (Fox News)
The U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran Saturday, triggering retaliatory attacks targeting countries in the region that host U.S. interests.
Mora Namdar, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, advised U.S. citizens to leave Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
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The limited number of available aircraft has pushed up prices, as citizens and travelers attempt to flee.
Fox News Digital’s Ryan Morik and Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.
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Estados Unidos y Venezuela acordaron formalmente restablecer relaciones diplomáticas. Lo anunció el departamento de Estado de EE.UU ., a poco más de dos meses del ataque estadounidense a Caracas y captura de Nicolás Maduro el 3 de enero pasado.
Leé también: Después de Venezuela e Irán, Trump dijo que la caída de la Revolución cubana será “la frutilla del postre”
Este jueves, en un evento en la Casa Blanca en el que Donald Trump recibió al equipo del Inter Miami de Lionel Messi, el presidente estadounidense volvió a elogiar a la gobernante encargada Delcy Rodríguez y dijo que realiza un “trabajo excelente”.
La mandataria chavista confirmó el anuncio. Poco después, un comunicado de la Cancillería reseñó que el país apostaba por “una nueva etapa” en la relación con Estados Unidos “basada en el respeto mutuo”.
El gobierno chavista “reafirma su disposición de avanzar en una nueva etapa de diálogo constructivo, basada en el respeto mutuo, la igualdad soberana de los Estados y la cooperación entre nuestros pueblos”, indicó. Además, mencionó una “relación positiva y de beneficio compartido”.
Los lazos diplomáticos entre ambos países se habían interrumpido en 2019 después que Washington reconoció al líder opositor Juan Guaidó como presidente interino. A fines de enero aterrizó en Caracas Laura Dogu, la nueva encargada de negocios estadounidense, con la misión de reabrir la misión en suelo venezolano. Poco después, el gobierno chavista nombró a Félix Plasencia como representante diplomático de Venezuela ante Estados Unidos.
Qué dijo el Departamento de Estado
En una nueva señal de deshielo tras la captura de Maduro, el departamento de Estado en Washington anunció que “Estados Unidos y las autoridades interinas de Venezuela han acordado restablecer las relaciones diplomáticas y consulares”.
“Este paso facilitará nuestros esfuerzos conjuntos para promover la estabilidad, apoyar la recuperación económica y avanzar en la reconciliación política en Venezuela”, señaló.
La presidenta encargada de Venezuela Delcy Rodriguez (Foto: REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria)
Además, afirmó: “Nuestro compromiso está orientado a ayudar al pueblo venezolano a avanzar a través de un proceso por etapas que cree las condiciones para una transición pacífica hacia un gobierno elegido democráticamente”.
Tras el ataque estadounidense, el nuevo gobierno chavista de Delcy Rodríguez inició una gestión bajo “tutelaje” de Trump.
Leé también: Trump echó a la secretaria de Seguridad Nacional de EE.UU., responsable de las redadas contra inmigrantes
Desde entonces, Trump le ordenó cortar el suministro petrolero a Cuba, vital para mantener el vetusto sistema energético de la isla, que está ahora bajo un virtual colapso energético, sin transporte y con apagones interminables.
Además, Venezuela realizó una histórico reforma a la ley de hidrocarburos que abrió el sector a la inversión extranjera. El país le está vendiendo petróleo a Estados Unidos y se apresta a firmar acuerdos mineros con Washington.
Trump viene elogiando periódicamente el gobierno residual chavista y dijo incluso que la líder opositora y premio Nobel de la paz, María Corina Machado, no tiene el suficiente respaldo para asumir el poder.
El Parlamento venezolano aprobó una amnistía para presos políticos que posibilitó la liberación de más de un centenar de detenidos, entre ellos tres argentinos, aunque organismos de derechos humanos dijeron que se trata de una medida “excluyente” que deja de lado a cientos de encarcelados.
El 11 de febrero había estado en Caracas el secretario de Energía, Chris Wright.
Esta semana estuvo en el país Doug Burgum, secretario del Interior de Estados Unidos. Tras una visita de dos días, finalizada este jueves, firmó que la reforma a la Ley de Minas anunciada este miércoles por Delcy Rodríguez creará oportunidades para las empresas.
“Esto literalmente podría convertir a Venezuela en uno de los países más ricos del mundo, y tenerlos como amigo, aliado y socio comercial resulta absolutamente fantástico”, afirmó.
Venezuela es un país rico en minerales como oro, diamante, bauxita y coltán.
Delcy Rodríguez impulsa también una reforma a la ley de minería.
Venezuela, Donald Trump
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