Biden admits his staff used autopen for mass clemency, pardons
In a Thursday phone call interview with The New York Times, Biden explained that he 'made every decision' regarding the clemency and pardons he granted to over 1,500 people at the end of his administration following Trump's win in the 2024 presidential election.
'I made every single one of those,' Biden told The New York Times. The former president explained that his administration used the autopen because 'we're talking about a whole lot of people.'
During Thursday's interview, Biden described Trump and other Republican leaders as 'liars' for suggesting that Biden's aides used the autopen to sign orders without his consent or authorization.
Asked about his decision to grant pardons to his family members, Biden said. 'Everybody knows how vindictive he [Trump] is, so we knew that they'd do what they're doing now. And my family didn't do anything wrong.'
'And all it would do is, if they, if he went after them, would be, is run up legal bills. I just, I just know how he operates,' Biden added. 'And so I made — but I consciously made all those decisions, among others.'
The Daily Caller reported that the only pardon Biden signed with his own hand in December and January was his pardon for Hunter Biden, the former president's son.
READ MORE: Fmr. top Biden aide admits to controlling autopen
The New York Times reported that while Biden did not personally approve each of the individuals he granted clemency and pardons at the end of his administration, the former president orally communicated with his staff members and approved certain standards and criteria that were used to determine which individuals were granted clemency and pardons.
According to The New York Times, Biden's staff members, including White House Staff Secretary, Stefanie Feldman, used the autopen to sign off on the final versions of official documents instead of having Biden sign updated versions of the documents.
In a memorandum to Bondi last month, Trump said, 'In recent months, it has become increasingly apparent that former President Biden's aides abused the power of Presidential signatures through the use of an autopen to conceal Biden's cognitive decline and assert Article II authority.'
'This conspiracy marks one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history,' Trump added. 'The American public was purposefully shielded from discovering who wielded the executive power, all while Biden's signature was deployed across thousands of documents to effect radical policy shifts.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
9 minutes ago
- Fox News
'We are bullish about the future because America is back,' says Mike Johnson
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., touts the successes of the Trump administration so far this term on 'One Nation.'
New York Post
38 minutes ago
- New York Post
Oklahoma state superintendent under investigation after board members report seeing naked women on his office TV
Oklahoma's controversial state superintendent is under investigation after state Board of Education members alleged they saw images of naked women on his office's television during a closed meeting last Thursday. State Superintendent Ryan Walters, the fiery Republican pick leading one of the nation's lowest-ranked education systems, was in the middle of a meeting during an executive session of the Oklahoma State Board of Education when images of naked women allegedly popped up on his television screen, two board members told The Oklahoman. 4 Pictures of naked women were allegedly seen on a television behind Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters during a meeting last Thursday. BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images One of the board members said she could barely believe what she was seeing. 'And I was like, 'Those are naked women'. And then I was like, 'No, wait a minute. Those aren't naked, surely those aren't naked women. Something is playing a trick on my eye. Maybe they just have on tan body suits. This is just really bizarre',' board member Becky Carson told the outlet. 'I saw them just walking across the screen, and I'm like, 'No.' I'm sorry I even have to use this language, but I'm like, 'Those are her nipples.' And then I'm like, 'That's pubic hair.' What in the world am I watching? I didn't watch a second longer. I was so disturbed by it, I was like, 'What is on your TV?' I was very stern, like I'd been a mother or a classroom teacher. And I said, 'What am I watching? Turn it off now!'' Ryan Deatherage, another board member, added that Walters was sitting with his back to the television, so he wasn't able to see the alleged X-rated video in the moment. 4 Walters has denied all allegations about the situation — calling them 'falsehoods.' DOUG HOKE/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images 'I am in shock and I'm not wanting to distract them. I'm trying to listen. Quite frankly, I didn't know how to handle it. I was just in shock. I was being human and I didn't know what to think. I kept thinking that it was just going to go away and so I quit watching it,' Deatherage told the outlet. Carson wound up having to tell Walters about the lewd images lingering on the screen behind him, which he then shut off without any explanation or apology. Walters later issued a statement Sunday denying all claims as 'categorically false.' 4 Two Oklahoma Board of Education members claimed that Walters offered no apology or explanation for the bizarre images. AP 'These falsehoods are the desperate tactics of a broken establishment afraid of real change. They aren't just attacking me, they're attacking the values of the Oklahomans who elected me to challenge the status quo. I will not be distracted. My focus remains on making Oklahoma the best state in the nation, in every category,' Walters said. Other members of the board told the outlet that while they didn't see the images themselves, Walters appeared 'shook up' and 'flustered or embarrassed' by whatever Carson pointed out. Walters, a staunch conservative, has previously made national headlines for his stances and policies in Oklahoma schools. He repeatedly sought to enforce strict rules about what's permitted inside the classroom, including restrictions against LGBTQ+ students that have come under fire from critics on the left. 4 Walters is best known for the anti-LGBTQ+ policies he's put forward, along with other rules loosening restrictions on Christian education in public schools. DOUG HOKE/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images At the same time, he's loosened prohibitions on the separation of church and state by requiring the Bible to be taught in public schools as a 'historical document.' Deatherage and Carson said Walters should hold himself to the same standards he enforces on educators, noting that the board has 'suspended teaching certificates for less than this.' It's unclear who may have been responsible for the racy images and why they were bizarrely featured on the government office's system. The investigation into the incident is being led by the Office of Management and Enterprise Services.
Fox News
39 minutes ago
- Fox News
Trump declaring US must win the AI race is 'one of the most important' statements of this term, says former deputy director of national intelligence
Former deputy director of national intelligence Cliff Sims explains why President Trump's stance on A.I. is so important on 'Sunday Night in America.'
