President Donald Trump announced that he would nullify pardons issued by President Joe Biden in the final days of his administration. Trump’s declaration, made via social media, questioned the legitimacy of the pardons, arguing that they were improperly signed using an autopen rather than Biden’s own hand.
Trump was explicit in his statement, declaring, “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.” He further asserted that Biden had no personal knowledge of the documents and that those who orchestrated the signings may have engaged in criminal activity.
This announcement comes in the wake of findings from the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project, which revealed that multiple pardons issued under Biden bore an identical autopen signature. The organization’s chief counsel, Kyle Brosnan, explained that while Biden personally signed certain documents—such as his son Hunter Biden’s pardon and his own announcement to exit the 2024 presidential race—many others, including those for Dr. Anthony Fauci, General Mark Milley, and members of the January 6 Committee, appeared to have been signed without Biden’s direct involvement.
Brosnan emphasized that using an autopen to issue pardons is highly concerning because the authority to grant clemency is constitutionally vested solely in the president. “You have to look at it in the context of President Biden’s mental decline,” Brosnan stated, referencing a previous report from Special Counsel Robert Hur that described Biden as an “elderly man with a poor memory.” The legal expert pointed out that throughout Biden’s presidency, reports have surfaced indicating that White House staff played an outsized role in managing his schedule and shielding him from unscripted public appearances.
The broader implications of these findings raise critical constitutional questions. If the president is not directly signing legal documents—whether pardons, bills, or executive orders—then who, in effect, is governing the nation? This concern is compounded by persistent allegations that Biden’s administration has operated under a veil of obfuscation, with unelected officials potentially making decisions in his name.
Trump’s move to nullify these pardons could spark an intense legal and political battle, particularly given the high-profile names involved. If Biden’s mental fitness was indeed in decline and staff members were making executive decisions on his behalf, it could constitute a serious breach of constitutional protocol.
