President Donald Trump said the pardons done by former President Joe Biden during his final days in office were voided because Biden used an autopen.
“In other words, Joe Biden did not sign them but, more importantly, he did not know anything about them! The necessary Pardoning Documents were not explained to, or approved by, Biden,” Trump said on Truth Social on Sunday.
An autopen is “a device that mechanically reproduces a person’s signature,” according to Merriam-Webster.
Before Joe Biden left office, he pardoned Hunter Biden, congressional members who served on the January 6th Committee, Dr. Anthony Fauci, General Mark Milley, and other Biden family members.
“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,” Trump said.
“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!” he added.
Last week, the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project analyzed these pardons and found that Joe Biden had used an autopen.
According to the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel, a president can sign documents without being present.
“The President need not personally perform the physical act of affixing his signature to a bill he approves and decides to sign in order for the bill to become law. Rather, the President may sign a bill within the meaning of Article I, Section 7 by directing a subordinate to affix the President’s signature to such a bill, for example by autopen,” it says.
Former U.S. presidents have used an autopen in the past.
John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter are said to have used an autopen to sign a variety of things.
Barack Obama used an autopen to sign the Patriot Act extension in 2011 and a fiscal cliff bill two years later.
Joe Biden also used an autopen in May 2024.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at zschmidt1717@gmail.com. Follow Zachery on Twitter @zacheryschmidt2.
