US: Trump annuls Biden pardons over use of autopen

Donald Trump declared Monday he was annulling pardons issued by Joe Biden to shield Trump critics from retribution, claiming that they were invalid because his Democratic predecessor had supposedly used an autopen for his signature. It was unclear what, if any, authority Trump has to void presidential pardons issued by his predecessor. It is extremely […]

Donald Trump declared Monday he was annulling pardons issued by Joe Biden to shield Trump critics from retribution, claiming that they were invalid because his Democratic predecessor had supposedly used an autopen for his signature.
It was unclear what, if any, authority Trump has to void presidential pardons issued by his predecessor.
It is extremely rare for pardons to be revoked in US history, and doing so in this case could see Trump again testing the limits of executive power as he takes aim at his political enemies.
Trump claimed that Biden’s signature on the documents had been carried out with an autopen, a commonly used device, and therefore was not valid.
The pardons “are hereby declared void, vacant, and of no further force or effect, because of the fact they were done by Autopen,” Trump posted on his social media account Truth Social.
However, he provided no evidence either for the use of an autopen or his contention that it would invalidate the signature.
US presidents have long used autopens, including to sign bills into law.