GOP senators press former Biden pardon attorney over death row clemency

Republican senators sharply questioned former Justice Department pardon attorney Elizabeth Oyer during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on July 16, 2026, over her support for commuting the sentences of federal death row inmates. Sens. Josh Hawley, Eric Schmitt, and Sen. Chuck Grassley criticized Oyer’s memo recommending that former President Joe Biden consider reducing the sentences of all 40 federal death row prisoners. They focused on cases including Robert Bowers, Dylann Roof, and Jorge AvilaTorrez, arguing that her recommendations gave too little weight to victims and their families. Oyer defended her work, saying she took the role seriously and that those granted clemency would remain imprisoned for life. Democrats on the committee portrayed her as a nonpolitical official who had been fired for political reasons, while Cory Booker later condemned the tone of the Republican questioning.