President Donald Trump formally carried out the promise he issued last week, announcing that he has “completely terminated” every action authenticated with Joe Biden’s autopen and stating that none of those documents carry any legal standing. In a statement posted to Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Any and all Documents, Proclamations, Executive Orders, Memorandums, or Contracts, signed by Order of the now infamous and unauthorized ‘AUTOPEN,’ within the Administration of Joseph R. Biden Jr., are hereby null, void, and of no further force or effect.”
Trump also warned recipients of any clemency issued that way, noting, “Anyone receiving ‘Pardons,’ ‘Commutations,’ or any other Legal Document so signed, please be advised that said Document has been fully and completely terminated, and is of no Legal effect.”
The announcement mirrored his earlier remarks from Friday, when he insisted that “any document signed by Sleepy Joe Biden with the Autopen, which was approximately 92% of them, is hereby canceling and of no further force or effect.” He has repeatedly argued that Biden depended heavily on the device to manage executive orders, declarations, renewals of emergencies, and other official paperwork, saying at one point that “staff were effectively running the government with a machine.”
Trump’s move drew legal scrutiny from analysts, including federal defense lawyer Ronald Chapman II, who told Newsmax on Sunday that Trump would indeed have the authority to invalidate autopen-signed actions if the device was used without Biden personally authorizing each instance. As Chapman put it, “So if anybody used the autopen without Joe Biden’s express permission, without him deciding that a pardon is OK, it’s going to be an invalid signature, and the force and effect of that signature makes it moot.”
Legal scholars, however, note that the legitimacy of autopen signatures hinges not on who pushes the button but on whether the president gave explicit approval. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel underscored this in a 2005 memo, which stated that a president may authorize a subordinate—or even “a mechanical device such as an autopen”—to sign in his stead, and that, with authorization, “the mode of signature is immaterial.”
At the same time, constitutional experts acknowledge that if a president truly had no awareness of the autopen’s use or never consented to the signature, those actions could be subject to legal challenge.
Biden’s team has openly said that he relied on the autopen for a range of tasks, including executive orders, ceremonial statements, condolence messages, holiday notes, and renewals of emergency statuses, particularly when he was on the road or recovering from medical procedures.
A report released by the GOP-controlled House Oversight Committee raised concerns about the validity of numerous measures endorsed by the autopen, alleging inconsistent documentation of Biden’s direct involvement. The report urged the Justice Department to explore whether the device had been used in a manner that exceeded legitimate presidential authority.
{Matzav.com}
Was there anyone Frum that President Autopen pardoned? I thought so. Autopen hates Frum Jews.