2 months ago
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(NewsNation) — Former President Joe Biden orally granted pardons and commutations successful the last months of his term, helium told the New York Times.
President Donald Trump has claimed his predecessor's unit utilized an autopen, a mechanical instrumentality that replicates a person's signature, to pardon astir 4,000 national convicts without Biden's authorization.
“I made each decision,” Biden said successful a telephone interrogation with the Times connected Thursday.
He said his aides utilized an autopen to motion disconnected connected preapproved lists of convicts and prominent Trump oppositionists due to the fact that "we're talking astir a full batch of people."
The Justice Department, Congress and the Trump White House are investigating Biden's clemency decisions — which Trump has called "void, vacant" — arsenic good arsenic his mental acuity portion successful office.
The Justice Department nether Democratic and Republican administrations has recognized the usage of an autopen to motion authorities and contented pardons for decades.
Biden team's pardon process utilizing autopen
Rather than individually o.k. each name, Biden and his squad opted to o.k. criteria for categorical pardons and commutations.
“The president makes the last determination connected the last pardon and/or commutation slate," Biden's White House counsel, Ed Siskel, wrote successful an email reviewed by the Times.
The outlet obtained entree to dozens of emails sent betwixt November 2024 and Jan. 20. They were turned implicit from the National Archives arsenic portion of ongoing investigations.
Over the people of 3 months, Biden created 4 sets of clemency actions, which were aboriginal signed by the autopen.
He'd past talk to his closest advisers and orally assistance support for the actions. Accounts of Biden's oral decisions and confirmations were referred to arsenic "blurbs" successful emails from aides and elder advisers.
White House unit caput Stefanie Feldman, who authorized the usage of the autopen, requested written accounts of these blurbs anterior to immoderate clemency decisions.
Then-President Biden speaks astatine the International African American Museum successful Charleston, S.C., connected Jan. 19, 2025. (Stephanie Scarbrough, Associated Press)
Former President Joe Biden speaks from the Oval Office of the White House connected Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
President Joe Biden waits to talk astir overseas argumentation astatine the State Department successful Washington connected Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
Assistants who weren't successful the country with Biden were successful complaint of drafting those accounts — reportedly from accusation relayed by Siskel and main of unit Jeff Zients.
The Bureau of Prisons continued to supply much accusation astir circumstantial inmates, sometimes starring to changes successful the list. Since the alterations were made wrong parameters determined by Biden, an autopen was utilized to motion disconnected astatine the extremity of the process alternatively than each clip a alteration was made, an adjutant told the Times.
But for higher-level decisions, specified arsenic the preemptive pardoning of retired Gen. Mark A. Milley, Biden told the Times helium discussed each with his aides.
“We cognize however vindictive Trump is, and I’ve nary uncertainty they would person gone aft Mark for nary bully reason,” Biden said. “The general, you know. So they whitethorn work disconnected his sanction — what’d I want? I told them I wanted to marque definite helium had a pardon due to the fact that I knew precisely what Trump would bash — without immoderate merit, I mightiness add.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
