Ashley Biden, daughter of former President Joe Biden, has filed for divorce from her husband of more than 13 years, plastic surgeon Dr. Howard Krein, according to court records in Philadelphia. The filing took place Monday in the Court of Common Pleas, the same day Ashley posted an Instagram photo of herself giving a thumbs up to the song “Freedom” by Beyoncé, along with a quote about “new beginnings.” She and Krein married in 2012 after being introduced by her late brother Beau, and she reflected on the wedding during her 2024 Democratic National Convention appearance. The cause of the split is unknown because Philadelphia divorce records are not public.
The personal news comes as Joe Biden faces renewed political and legal scrutiny. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer says concerns about Biden’s mental decline and his frequent use of an autopen in his final months in office could prompt challenges to some of his pardons and executive orders. Comer argues that if Biden did not personally approve documents signed in his name, their legality may be questioned. Legal scholar Alan Dershowitz has said such disputes would likely end up in court, particularly due to constitutional requirements for presidential signatures.
Debate over Biden’s cognitive state intensified after his troubled 2024 debate performance and Special Counsel Robert Hur’s 2025 report describing him as an elderly man with memory issues. Biden has maintained that he made all decisions on pardons, though aides acknowledged he did not individually review every name in broad clemency actions. Republicans say these circumstances could justify efforts to overturn certain late-presidency decisions, while experts note that courts would need to consider the nature of each document and Biden’s direct involvement.