Donald Trump has made headlines after alleging that former President Joe Biden excessively used an autopen, even suggesting that pardons signed with the device should be invalidated. Now, experts assert that Trump himself utilized an autopen for recent pardons, prompting action from the Justice Department.
Trump has never hidden his disdain for Biden, frequently targeting the former president over his age and health issues. A prominent point of contention has been Biden’s use of the autopen.
Trump has vocalized his disapproval of Biden’s reliance on the autopen, advocating for the nullification of all pardons Biden allegedly signed with it. During the unveiling of his “Presidential Walk of Fame” at the White House, he even replaced Biden’s portrait with an autopen as a symbolic gesture.
The debate has even reached Congress, where Republicans have urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to initiate a thorough investigation.
The House Oversight Committee reported, “Senior White House officials were unaware of who operated the autopen, and its usage lacked adequate control and documentation to prevent misuse.” They further stated, “The Committee deems void all executive actions signed by the autopen without proper, corresponding, contemporaneous, written approval traceable to the president’s own consent.”
However, the use of autopen is not exclusive to Biden. It has been a tool for past presidents, including Trump. On November 7, Trump signed new pardons.
Forensic Document Experts Claim Trump Used Autopen for Recent Pardons
Trump’s actions have now come under scrutiny, with allegations similar to those he directed at Biden. It appears he might have used an autopen to grant pardons to figures like former New York Mets player Darryl Strawberry, former Tennessee House speaker Glen Casada, and former New York police sergeant Michael McMahon, among others.
According to The Guardian, signatures on several pardons initially displayed on the Justice Department’s website bore striking similarities, as noted by two forensic document experts who spoke with The Associated Press. Following the revelation, the Justice Department discreetly amended the pardons that displayed identical copies of Trump’s signature.
The department called this a “technical error.” Chad Gilmartin, a Justice Department spokesperson, commented to The Associated Press, “The website was updated after a technical error wherein one of the signatures President Trump personally signed was mistakenly uploaded multiple times due to staffing issues caused by the Democrat shutdown.”
White House Spokesperson Labels Issue as a “Non-Story”
“This is a non-issue,” stated White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson in an email, emphasizing that Trump personally “signed each one of these pardons by hand as he does with all pardons.”
Jackson further remarked, “The media should focus their efforts on investigating Joe Biden’s numerous autopenned pardons, rather than pursuing a non-story.”
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