Recently, controversy has built up around Joe Biden’s unprecedented pardons, which he signed in the final days of his presidency. Biden pardoned several controversial political figures, including his son, Hunter Biden. These pardons were highly unusual because of their stunning breadth and for how few specifics they featured. In response, many have attacked the legitimacy of these pardons and even said they might not hold up in court, which would pave the way for possible prosecutions going forward.
To explain, most presidents issue pardons during the closing weeks of their terms. However, the pardons are almost always for specific crimes, but Biden gave his son a blanket pardon for all actions within a particular date range. The situation is even more complicated because a machine signed the documents, not the President himself, further casting doubt on their legitimacy.
Tom Fitton, the president of Judicial Watch, analyzed if these pardons would hold up to legal scrutiny in December 2024. He said, “We’ve had President Biden perform to the low expectations for ethics that he has so specialized in by granting a pardon to his son Hunter Biden, a pardon that really is unprecedented in history, in the sense of how broad it is.”
He added, “Joe Biden issued this pardon last night, basically pardoning Hunter for not only the specific charges for which he was prosecuted and pled guilty but also …for any other crimes he may have committed or not committed. Who knows, in the last 10 years, up until yesterday? And you believe it up until yesterday, and so broad pardons like that are constitutionally suspect and may not be enforceable.”
He posted a similar message to his X account, which read, “President Biden arguably overstepped his constitutional authority by issuing an unusual blanket pardon to Hunter Biden for any and all offenses (known and unknown) for a ten-year time period (up until yesterday!).”
In a post to Truth Social on Monday, March 17, President Trump declared Biden’s pardons void. According to the president, he decided after he learned that Biden used a machine to ‘sign’ the pardons. He posted, “The “Pardons” that Sleepy Joe Biden gave to the Unselect Committee of Political Thugs, and many others, are hereby declared VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT, because of the fact that they were done by Autopen.”
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Trump explained why this is a significant factor in the scandal. He added, “In other words, Joe Biden did not sign them but, more importantly, he did not know anything about them! The necessary Pardoning Documents were not explained to, or approved by, Biden. He knew nothing about them, and the people that did may have committed a crime.”
He concluded his remarks by explaining how this is a serious crime. Trump said, “Therefore, those on the Unselect Committee, who destroyed and deleted ALL evidence obtained during their two year Witch Hunt of me, and many other innocent people, should fully understand that they are subject to investigation at the highest level. The fact is, they were probably responsible for the Documents that were signed on their behalf without the knowledge or consent of the Worst President in the History of our Country, Crooked Joe Biden!”