President Donald Trump has declared Biden’s last-minute pardons of J6 committee member Liz Cheney, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and even members of his own family void after an investigation revealed that the former President used an “autopen” to sign them.
At a glance:
- Trump declared Biden’s pardons “void, vacant and of no further force or effect” due to autopen use
- The pardons shielded Liz Cheney, Anthony Fauci, Mark Milley, and January 6 committee members
- Conservative Heritage Foundation identified identical signatures suggesting autopen usage
- Trump claims Biden “knew nothing about them” and those who processed them “may have committed a crime”
- The Constitution doesn’t explicitly address whether pardons require original signatures or if they can be rescinded
Trump Challenges Biden’s Last-Minute Pardons
President Donald Trump has officially declared that Joe Biden’s last-minute pardons for his political allies are null and void. The declaration comes after evidence emerged suggesting Biden used an autopen, a mechanical device that replicates signatures, rather than personally signing the controversial pardons.
“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,” Trump stated on Truth Social.
The President further claimed that Biden was unaware of the pardons and suggested potential legal consequences for those involved.
The challenged pardons specifically protected former Congresswoman Liz Cheney, retired General Mark Milley, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and members of the January 6 congressional committee from potential prosecution. These individuals have been frequently criticized by Trump, who has previously threatened to investigate them after returning to office.
Questions About Pardon Legitimacy
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative advocacy and research group, has raised serious concerns about Biden’s use of an autopen for official documents. Their analysis identified identical signatures across multiple documents, suggesting mechanical replication rather than original signatures by the president.
The Oversight Project, linked to the Heritage Foundation, has argued that such automated signatures could render the pardons unconstitutional. While autopens have been used by various officials for routine matters, their use for significant constitutional powers like pardons raises unprecedented legal questions.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump acknowledged that the final decision on voiding the pardons would ultimately rest with the courts. “It’s not my decision,” Trump said, while maintaining his position that the pardons were improperly executed and therefore invalid.
Constitutional Questions and Political Implications
The U.S. Constitution grants the President broad pardon power with few explicit limitations. However, it does not specifically address the method of signing pardons or whether a subsequent president can invalidate them on procedural grounds. So this is about to become a huge test of the U.S. Constitution and law.
Biden’s pardons were issued on his final day in office after Trump had previously warned of potential investigations into members of the January 6 committee. In his January 20 statement, Biden defended the committee members, saying they had “fulfilled this mission with integrity and a commitment to discovering the truth.”
Trump has continued to dispute this characterization, arguing that the committee members are guilty of “major crimes” and that they destroyed evidence related to their investigation. The President has since suggested a Justice Department under his administration might still pursue charges against these individuals despite Biden’s controversial pardons.
