President Trump announced on Monday that he is revoking all last-minute pardons issued by former President Joe Biden using an autopen. In a post on Truth Social, Trump declared that the pardons granted by Biden to individuals, including members of the Unselect Committee and others, are now considered null and void because they were executed using an autopen. Trump emphasized that Biden did not personally sign the pardons and may not have been aware of them. Trump further claimed that the pardons were not authorized by Biden and suggested that those involved in the process could face legal scrutiny. Additionally, Trump warned that members of the Jan. 6 House select committee who received pardons from Biden would be subject to investigation. Trump criticized Biden for his use of the autopen to sign the pardons, alleging that the former president was not fully informed about the pardons before they were issued. Biden had granted pardons to all nine members of the Jan. 6 Committee, as well as other individuals, on the final day of his presidency. These pardons included preemptive pardons for General Mark Milley and Dr. Anthony Fauci. Milley, who had criticized Trump’s actions surrounding the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, and Fauci, who had faced scrutiny for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, were among those granted clemency by Biden. Trump and other Republicans have accused Fauci of misleading Congress about the origins of the virus and his involvement in funding research in China. Investigations have revealed that federal funds were used in risky research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
The controversy escalated when OversightPRTrump expressed his outrage over Biden’s preemptive pardons, labeling the move as “disgraceful” and accusing many of being guilty of significant crimes. It remains uncertain if any legal action will be taken to challenge the validity of Biden’s pardons due to the autopen controversy. Last week, Missouri’s Attorney General, Andrew Bailey, raised concerns that numerous executive orders signed by former President Biden may have been authorized using identical autopen signatures. Bailey stated that if proven true, these executive orders, pardons, and other actions would be unconstitutional and legally invalid. He further called for an investigation by the Department of Justice to determine if Biden’s cognitive decline had allowed unelected staff to implement radical policies without his explicit approval.
