President Donald J. Trump has declared that pardons issued by former President Joe Biden are invalid, as they were signed using an autopen without Biden’s knowledge. In a Truth Social post, Trump asserted that Biden’s decision to pardon members of the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 Capitol protests, among others, is “VOID.” Trump argues that Biden did not personally approve the documents, suggesting a potential crime was committed in their authorization.
“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,” President Trump announced on his Truth Social platform. “In other words, Joe Biden did not sign them but, more importantly, he did not know anything about them!”
Trump’s statements follow concerns raised by the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project, which suggested Biden’s extensive use of an autopen during his presidency. The project collected numerous documents bearing Biden’s signature, identifying most as produced using an autopen.
Biden announced his pardons on January 20, his final day in office, covering a range of individuals, including former military leaders, health officials, congressional committee members, and Capitol police officers. Referring to January 6 Committee members, Trump said they “destroyed and deleted ALL evidence obtained during their two year Witch Hunt of me, and many other innocent people, [and] should fully understand that they are subject to investigation at the highest level.”
Asked aboard Air Force One about the validity of documents signed by autopen, Trump suggested a court would ultimately decide the matter.