Trump Claims Biden’s Autopen Pardons Are ‘Null and Void
On Monday, former President Donald Trump declared that he was invalidating all of the last-minute pardons issued by President Joe Biden through the use of an autopen, setting the stage for a potential political and legal firestorm. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump made it clear that he considered these pardons to be “null and void,” citing the fact that they were signed electronically rather than personally by Biden.
Trump specifically targeted the pardons given to individuals associated with the January 6th Capitol riot, calling them “Pardons” issued to members of the “Unselect Committee of Political Thugs” and others. He went on to declare that these actions were “VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT” because they were processed using the autopen, a device that automatically replicates the signature of the president.
This bold move by Trump is likely to spark outrage among Democrats and legal experts alike, potentially opening the door to a lengthy and contentious legal battle over the legitimacy of these pardons. Trump’s action not only challenges the authority of Biden’s last-minute decisions but also serves to fuel ongoing political tensions between the two parties, especially regarding the fallout from the events surrounding the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.
