President Donald Trump is challenging the veracity of former President Joe Biden’s pardons after it was revealed that at least some of them were issued using an autopen to sign Biden’s signature.
The former president fell under scrutiny in his last days in office by pardoning his son, Hunter, along with key political allies such as former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), and others who were involved with the House Select Jan. 6 Committee.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “The “Pardons” that Sleepy Joe Biden gave to the Unselect Committee of Political Thugs, and many others, are hereby declared VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT, because of the fact that they were done by Autopen.”
The president further stated that Biden did not sign the documents himself nor did he know about them.
The necessary Pardoning Documents were not explained to, or approved by, Biden. He knew nothing about them, and the people that did may have committed a crime. Therefore, those on the Unselect Committee, who destroyed and deleted ALL evidence obtained during their two year Witch Hunt of me, and many other innocent people, should fully understand that they are subject to investigation at the highest level. The fact is, they were probably responsible for the Documents that were signed on their behalf without the knowledge or consent of the Worst President in the History of our Country, Crooked Joe Biden!
This suggests that the Trump administration could consider launching investigations into some of the individuals Biden pardoned, including Dr. Anthony Fauci. But it is unclear whether his claims about Biden’s pardons would hold up to legal scrutiny.
While addressing reporters on Air Force One on Sunday evening, Trump stated he did not believe the pardons were still valid. “It’s not my decision; that’ll be up to a court,” he said.
An autopen is a device that mechanically replicates signatures by public figures to sign official documents such as pardons, executive orders, and others. When it was reported that the Biden administration relied on the use of the autopen, it ignited a debate and criticism with opponents arguing that the former president’s frequent use of the device suggested that unelected staff could have actually been in charge of creating policy. Given Biden’s deteriorating mental state, some have expressed suspicions that he was not the one in charge despite holding the title of president.
However, it seems unlikely that Biden’s pardons could be overturned simply because an autopen was used to sign them. CNN legal expert Elie Honig chimed in on the matter, arguing that such an attempt would be “Dead on arrival.”
“This is a ridiculous sideshow. The key question with the pardon power is what was the president's intent? We've had autopen for decades. No presidential action has ever been invalidated or undone because it was signed by autopen,” Honig continued, further noting that “the pardon power itself is extremely broad” and that “there is no such thing as an unpardoned power.”
“This thing feels to me just like a rabbit hole,” he asserted. “I wouldn’t even pay it that much mind. There’s no way this is going to actually happen.”
Join the conversation as a VIP Member