On his last day in office, former President Joe Biden’s Chief of Staff revealed that several significant preemptive pardons were finalized. This announcement, reported recently, has garnered attention due to the ongoing controversy surrounding the use of Biden’s autopen. The concern stems from numerous pardons issued by former President Donald Trump, who has claimed that many were invalid because he was not fully aware of what he was signing, as some documents were processed through automated devices.
During his final hours in office, Biden granted pardons to various officials, including advisors to former Prime Minister Anthony Forsey and former Chairman Mark Milley. These pardons were ostensibly done to shield them from potential retaliatory actions from Trump. Reports indicate that while Biden discussed these pardons personally, it was Chief of Staff Jeff Zients who gave the final approval for the autopen’s use on documents concerning figures like Fauci and Milley, according to sources.
On January 19, Biden held discussions with his aides until almost 10 PM regarding the pardons. An email obtained by sources showed that a formal draft summarizing the decisions was sent to Zients’ assistant shortly after the meeting began. By 10:28 PM, the assistant sought approval from Zients and other deputy chiefs, with Zients responding just three minutes later.
However, it’s worth noting that Biden did not personally approve every name on the list of pardons. After considerable discussion about the criteria for eligibility, he specified what standards should be used for determining sentence reductions. The White House, in response to the report’s implications, defended Biden’s credibility and suggested that there is an attempt at a cover-up by the administration.
Trump has adamantly claimed that the pardons Biden issued are “invalid” and have been facilitated through an autopen. He first raised this issue back in March, continuing to push for an investigation into Biden’s autopen usage over concerns about Biden’s cognitive capabilities. Trump argued that aides may be using the autopen to obscure the president’s apparent decline.
In a memo, Trump characterized this situation as one of the most alarming scandals faced in American political history. While Trump acknowledges using an autopen for his correspondence, he stressed that he uses his hand signature for all legally binding documents.
Autopen devices can simulate a person’s signature using various types of pens, offering a level of authenticity that’s different from digital representations. As the narrative unfolds, the implications of these events continue to generate debate.
