Ashley Biden Files for Divorce from Husband of 13 Years; Joe Biden Faces Scrutiny Over Mental Capacity and Autopen Use
Ashley Biden, the 44-year-old daughter of former President Joe Biden, has filed for divorce from her husband, Dr. Howard Krein, after more than 13 years of marriage. Court records show the filing was submitted on August 11, 2025, in Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas. Divorce proceedings in Philadelphia are not public, and details of the petition remain private.
Biden and Krein, a plastic surgeon and otolaryngologist, were married on June 2, 2012, in Greenville, Delaware, in an interfaith ceremony. The couple was introduced two years earlier by Ashley’s late brother, Beau Biden. In a speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, Ashley recalled her father’s hands-on role in their wedding reception, noting his emotional involvement while driving a John Deere tractor to arrange details.
On the day of the filing, Ashley shared an Instagram Story showing herself walking in a park with a thumbs-up gesture, set to Beyoncé’s song “Freedom.” She also posted a quote: “New life, new beginnings, means new boundaries. New ways of being that won’t look or sound like they did before.” The posts were later removed.
The personal news comes as the Biden family continues to face public scrutiny. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) has advanced an investigation into former President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline, focusing on the extensive use of an autopen — a machine that mechanically replicates signatures — for executive actions, particularly in the final months of his term.
Comer has argued that the frequent reliance on the autopen, combined with questions about Biden’s mental capacity, raises serious legal concerns regarding the validity of certain pardons and executive orders. “If the President of the United States had no idea what was being signed… that’s not legal,” Comer stated. He suggested the committee’s findings could support challenges to those actions and potential referrals for review.
Legal experts, including former Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz, have noted that while autopen use is not unprecedented, the lack of clear documentation of presidential intent could create constitutional issues for bills and pardons. Special Counsel Robert Hur’s earlier report had already highlighted concerns about Biden’s memory.
The Oversight Committee released a detailed report in October 2025 deeming certain autopen-signed actions potentially void and referring the matter to the Department of Justice. Democrats have dismissed the probe as partisan. As of now, no court rulings have invalidated the actions in question.
