Recent revelations concerning the use of an autopen to sign critical orders during former President Joe Biden's tenure have sparked outrage from many on the right, but now, it appears that numerous grants of clemency issued during that time are under fire from individuals who have historically sided with Democrats.

As The Hill reports, there is a move afoot by Democrat Jesse Jackson, Jr. and Donald Trump foe Michael Cohen, among others, to prompt a legal review of pardon decisions made by Biden, suggesting that the former president's mental state may have impacted the integrity of the process in which their requests for clemency were assessed and subsequently denied.

Unequal treatment alleged

With questions continuing to swirl about autopen use in the Biden White House, five individuals who previously lobbied to receive pardons from the former president signed onto an op-ed published on Monday suggesting that a fresh review of their cases -- and others -- be undertaken.

Those seeking novel consideration from the Trump administration include former Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, former politician Michael Rothenberg, physician Michael Jones, and radio personality Warren Ballentine.

Each of the individuals who signed on to the piece had been convicted of nonviolent federal offenses, and all later saw their pardon requests denied by the Biden team, something they suggest points to unequal -- and perhaps unethical -- treatment emanating from the last administration.

Op-ed raises key questions

Those responsible for the opinion piece declared, “The five of us have something in common. We were all convicted of federal crimes over the last 12 years, and we all completed applications asking for pardons from former President Joe Biden. Unfortunately, at 12:01 p.m. on President Trump's inauguration day, all five of us received emails informing us that our applications had been denied and we would have to reapply under the new administration.”

The undersigned continued, “We have all completed our sentences, so there is no question of having those shortened. What is at stake, in some of our cases, is our ability to make a living, sustain our families and become productive members of our communities again.”

Getting to the heart of the matter, the men noted that the pardon itself “was intended as a mechanism to provide justice and mercy to citizens for their offenses, because of our flawed humanity and because our justice system, like all human systems, is imperfect,” adding that “concerns arise when pardons appear self-serving -- especially when granted by a president whose mental acuity has been questioned.”

Going further, they wrote, “Biden's pardons of close associates and family members raised serious ethical and legal concerns, particularly when others in similar situations were denied pardons. The issue at hand was not about his legal right to grant pardons, but whether his cognitive condition affected the integrity of such decisions.”

Pointedly, the op-ed stated, “This is particularly noteworthy since Biden used the full Nixon-era formula in granting 'full, complete, absolute and unconditional' pardons to members of his family, covering a lengthy period of time and without citing any specific alleged wrongdoing on their part.”

Reckoning on the way?

Perhaps giving the aforementioned op-ed's authors renewed hope that their request is being heard, a senior Trump Justice Department official told staffers Monday that he will be initiating an investigation of clemency decisions made by Biden toward the end of his term, notably those favoring his family members and several individuals on death row, as Reuters noted.

DOJ pardon attorney Ed Martin explained in an email that the probe will center on whether, at the time of those clemency grants, Biden “was competent and whether others were taking advantage of him through use of AutoPen or other means.”

Conservative commentator David Marcus has taken aim at Biden-era pardons in light of recent revelations about the innerworkings of his administration, stating in a Fox News op-ed, “If there are crimes to charge Hunter Biden with, he should be charged, and the same goes for Fauci. Let the courts decide if old man Biden was competent enough to make those calls.”

Marcus went on, “For now, there is every reason to believe that Biden's condition, which was hidden from us, makes his pardons, all of them, null and void,” and as Jackson, Cohen, and the others would likely argue, so, too, are the former president's clemency denials.