Former U.S. President Donald Trump has declared President Joe Biden’s preemptive pardons for members of the congressional committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot “void, vacant, and of no further force or effect.”
In a statement on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump challenged the legality of the pardons, alleging they were signed using an Autopen—an automated signature device—without Biden’s direct involvement.
“The ‘pardons’ that Biden gave to the committee, and many others, are hereby declared void, vacant, and of no further force or effect, because they were done by Autopen,” Trump wrote.
He further suggested that Biden was unaware of the pardons and insinuated potential wrongdoing by those who facilitated them. “Biden knew nothing about them, and the people that did may have committed a crime,” Trump alleged.
Vowing further scrutiny, he promised an investigation “at the highest level” into those he believes were “probably responsible for the documents that were signed on their behalf without the knowledge or consent of Biden.”
The January 6 riot saw pro-Trump demonstrators storm the Capitol, disrupting the certification of Biden’s 2020 election victory. While hundreds faced criminal charges, Trump, after winning reelection, pardoned over 1,500 individuals linked to the event.
On his final day in office, Biden issued preemptive pardons for members of the congressional select committee investigating the attack, anticipating potential retaliatory action once he left the White House.
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