President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that he has nullified every document, order, and pardon that he says was signed with an autopen during Joe Biden’s presidency. He said the actions are “void” and “of no further force or effect.”
Trump made the declaration in a Truth Social post. He said any document signed by what he called the “infamous and unauthorized autopen” would no longer carry legal weight.
“Anyone receiving ‘Pardons,’ ‘Commutations,’ or any other Legal Document so signed, please be advised that said Document has been fully and completely terminated,” Trump wrote. He added that such documents are now “of no Legal effect.”
The move follows Trump’s announcement on Nov. 28 that he was revoking all executive orders signed by autopen during Biden’s term. Trump said the autopen can only be used when a president personally directs the signature.
He accused Biden’s staff of abusing the device. He said the White House used it without Biden’s authorization and claimed the process was carried out by aides who were “circling Biden around the beautiful Resolute Desk.” Trump also accused Biden of not being involved in key decisions. He said Biden would face “perjury” charges if he claimed otherwise.
The autopen is a device that uses real ink to reproduce a signature. Presidents of both parties have used it for years to sign letters, proclamations, and high-volume documents. The Office of Legal Counsel says the device can be used legally, but only when the president directs each individual signature.
Legal experts told Reuters that Trump’s attempt to void Biden-era pardons is unlikely to stand. They said presidents have the power to revoke executive orders, but not pardons. They said there is “no constitutional or legal basis” to reverse a prior president’s clemency.
It is not known whether Biden used the autopen for any pardons. His team did not respond to requests for comment. Biden issued several pardons before leaving office, including for family members and for non-violent drug offenders.
During his presidency, Biden issued 4,245 acts of clemency. This included 80 pardons and 4,165 commutations. Trump said that 92 percent of Biden-era documents were signed by autopen. He also said Biden’s staff concealed Biden’s physical and mental decline.
These claims follow an October Oversight Committee report led by Rep. James Comer (R-KY). The report accused senior White House officials of abusing autopen authority and hiding signs of Biden’s cognitive problems. The committee said it found “no record” proving Biden personally made the decisions attributed to him.
The committee also said several senior Biden aides refused to testify. They told investigators they feared incriminating themselves.
Trump has used his own pardon authority aggressively in his second term. He has issued 70 pardons in the first 10 months. He also pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez last week. Hernandez had been convicted of conspiring to import cocaine into the United States. Trump said, without evidence, that Hernandez was the victim of a political witch hunt by the Biden administration.
Trump’s latest move marks his most direct challenge yet to Biden-era clemency. The legal fight over autopen signatures now appears likely to continue.