Trump says he's invalidating some Biden pardons, claiming power he doesn't have

[Eugene]

Earlier DU thread: 'Dictator S**t': Trump's Middle-Of-The-Night Meltdown Nulling Biden Pardons Is Slammed

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Source: NBC News

Trump says he’s invalidating some Biden pardons, claiming power he doesn’t have

Donald Trump doesn’t have the authority to invalidate Joe Biden’s pardons. The Republican is apparently simply asserting the right anyway.

March 17, 2025, 7:58 AM EDT
By Steve Benen

Midway through Barack Obama’s third year as president, Congress approved a controversial measure related to national security, with just 15 minutes to spare before certain surveillance powers were set to expire. The president, however, was in France when the bill cleared Capitol Hill.

In generations past, this might’ve posed a logistical challenge, but thanks to modern technology, White House officials weren’t concerned: Obama authorized use of the presidential “autopen” to sign the legislation into law. Some House Republicans weren’t pleased, but the administration pointed to a Justice Department guidance, written for George W. Bush, on the legal permissibility of the tool.

In the years that followed, discussion about the use of autopens has largely evaporated, though late last week, it apparently made a comeback: During remarks at the Justice Department on Friday, Donald Trump questioned Joe Biden’s use of the tool, saying that measures signed by his Democratic predecessor might not be “valid.”

Two days later, the Republican incumbent posted an item to his social media platform, suggesting that it was the autopen, and not Biden himself, who served as president for four years.

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Read more: https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-says-s-invalidating-biden-pardons-claiming-power-doesnt-rcna196671