Trump 'voids' Biden's last minute pardons after claim ex president made one crucial mistake when doing them
President Donald Trump has nullified a series of final-hour pardons issued by his forerunner Joe Biden, stating the former US chief executive "had no knowledge about them."
As one of his closing actions as the 46th President of the United States, 82-year-old Biden granted several pardons meant to protect various public figures from political attacks. Those receiving forgiveness included investigators of the January 6 Capitol riot and COVID response director Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Mark Milley, who previously headed the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also received a pardon along with Biden's relatives - his siblings James and Frank Biden, his sister Valerie Biden Owens, and their partners.
Biden's Reasoning Behind the Pardons
The Democratic leader stated he acted because his family members faced "constant attacks and threats."
"Sadly, I expect these attacks will continue," he explained, while also pardoning his sister-in-law Sara Jones Biden and brother-in-law John Owens.
Additionally, Biden reduced the life sentence of Native American activist Leonard Peltier, 80, who was found guilty of killing two FBI agents nearly five decades ago. This clemency allows Peltier, whose health is declining according to NBC News, to serve his remaining sentence under home confinement instead of in prison.
A Trump representative initially criticized Biden's pardons, calling them the "greatest attack on America's justice system ever recorded," according to the BBC.
"With a single signature, he [Biden] protected a group of political allies from justice," Taylor Budowich, Trump's Deputy Chief of Staff, posted on X. "This represents another dangerous and permanent breakdown of American standards."
Now, Trump has announced all pardons given by the former President are "void, vacant, and no longer effective."
Trump's Reasoning for Canceling the Pardons
On his Truth Social platform, the Republican 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.
"Essentially, Joe Biden never signed these documents and, more crucially, was completely unaware of them!" The entrepreneur claimed the 'required Pardoning Papers' weren't 'clarified' or sanctioned by Biden, asserting he had no information about them or the individuals who might have perpetrated offenses.
"Consequently, those on the Unselect Committee, who eliminated and erased ALL evidence gathered during their two-year Witch Hunt against me and numerous other guiltless people, should fully recognize they face investigation at the supreme level," he wrote.
"The reality is, they likely orchestrated the Documents that were endorsed on their behalf without the awareness or agreement of the Most Terrible President in our Nation's History, Dishonest Joe Biden!"
In a separate message, Trump suggested the person who "managed the Autopen" throughout Biden's presidency was "the actual President." This statement followed an image showing the three most recent presidential portraits, with Trump's 2016 and 2024 victories displayed first and third.
Rather than showing Biden for the 2020 win in the middle position, Trump substituted a picture of Biden's autopen signature.
Elon Musk and Vice President JD Vance have both distributed this suggestive image on their social media platforms, with Musk adding a bullseye and laughing emoji afterward.
What is an Autopen?
According to Business Standard, an autopen has been used by top officials since the 1950s. This device allows mechanical signatures to be produced when authority figures are personally unavailable by following a pre-set signature pattern.
Biden, Barack Obama, and Harry Truman are three former Presidents who have used the autopen, reports The Sun.
Previously, Former President George W. Bush asked the Justice Department to examine the legality of autopen signatures, and government lawyers determined it was lawful, according to The New York Post.
However, no definitive court ruling exists on whether a pardon signed by autopen without direct approval or knowledge is legally valid, leaving Trump's challenge open to legal examination.
