US President Donald Trump on Tuesday declared that all official documents signed by former President Joe Biden using an autopen were “null, void, and of no further force or effect.” In a post on Truth Social, Trump said any such document – ranging from executive orders to pardons – would no longer be recognised by his administration.The autopen, a long-used device in Washington that reproduces a leader’s signature, has been employed by multiple Democratic and Republican presidents. Trump, however, argued that Biden’s use of it was “unauthorized.””Any and all Documents, Proclamations, Executive Orders, Memorandums, or Contracts, signed by Order of the now infamous and unauthorized ‘AUTOPEN,’ within the Administration of Joseph R Biden Jr, are hereby null, void, and of no further force or effect,” Trump wrote. He added, “Anyone receiving ‘Pardons,’ ‘Commutations,’ or any other Legal Document so signed, please be advised that said Document has been fully and completely terminated, and is of no Legal effect.”Trump has repeatedly claimed that Biden, because of age and health concerns, relied excessively on aides and tools like the autopen. He has earlier suggested that staff made decisions without Biden’s full involvement.Biden – before leaving the Oval Office – issued a series of pre-emptive pardons for several family members and political figures. These pardons were described as intended to protect allies and top officials, including high-profile figures such as general Mark Milley, Anthony Fauci, and members of the January 6 committee. Family members, including Biden’s brothers James and Frank, his sister Valerie, and their spouses, were also listed as recipients of clemency in these accounts. These descriptions framed the pardons as a precautionary move ahead of Trump’s inauguration.Trump’s latest declaration appears to be aimed at sweeping aside any documents from Biden’s presidency that carried an autopen signature, potentially setting up legal and political challenges over the validity of measures taken in the final stretch of the previous administration.
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