Donald Trump said Tuesday he is expunging all documents, including pardons, that he said his predecessor Joe Biden signed using Autopen.
An autopen is a device used to replicate a person’s signature with accuracy, usually for high-volume or formal documents. It has been employed by the Presidents of both major parties to sign letters and proclamations.
Trump and his supporters have made a variety of baseless claims that Biden’s use of the device invalidates his actions while he was president or suggests that he was completely unaware of these actions. It is not known whether Biden used Autopen on pardons.
“Anyone receiving a ‘pardon’, ‘commutation’ or any other legal document signed in this manner, please be informed that said document has been completely shredded, and is of no legal effect,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Before leaving office in January, Biden issued several pardons, including for family members whom he said he wanted to protect from politically motivated investigations. He also commuted the sentences of others, including non-violent drug offenders.
Trump, known for his provocative style and dislike of his political opponents, has repeatedly taken aim at Biden over his use of the Autopen to sign official documents during his presidency.
The US President has also questioned Biden’s mental fitness and suggested that important decisions were taken by his aides, not Biden. Biden and his former aides have denied these claims, emphasizing the president’s active role in governing.
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