Suspension of Documents Approved Using Autopen
Likely to Include Presidential Pardon Documents
On November 28 (local time), President Donald Trump of the United States announced that he would suspend the validity of all official documents approved during former President Joe Biden's term (January 2021 to January 2025) that were signed using an autopen, rather than by Biden's own hand.
President Trump stated on the social networking service Truth Social that he would abolish all documents signed by former President Biden using an autopen, declaring that such documents would no longer be valid.
President Trump claimed that documents signed by former President Biden with an autopen accounted for 92% of all documents, adding, "The use of an autopen is prohibited unless the President of the United States has specifically authorized its use."
He declared, "I am canceling all executive orders and everything else that was not personally signed by former President Biden," explaining that this was because "the individuals who operated the autopen did so illegally."
He further stated, "Joe Biden was not involved in the autopen process, and if he claims that he was, he will be indicted for perjury."
President Trump has repeatedly asserted, without providing clear evidence, that the now 83-year-old former President Biden was too old and cognitively impaired to make major policy decisions on his own, and that people around him used the autopen to influence policy decisions.
President Trump did not specify which executive orders and various documents signed by former President Biden would be considered invalid due to the use of the autopen. It appears that not only executive orders related to policy initiatives during Biden's presidency, but also documents related to pardon decisions, could be included.
This action was announced as President Trump accelerated his push for far-right policies following an incident on November 26 near the White House, where two National Guard soldiers were shot by an Afghan immigrant. The previous night, President Trump also declared that he would permanently halt all immigration to the United States from third-world countries, signaling a major intensification of his anti-immigration policies.
As with many of President Trump's other controversial policies, the move to invalidate documents signed by former President Biden using an autopen is expected to spark legal and political disputes.
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