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Donald Trump stares down reporter after microphone hits his face
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US president Donald Trump’s latest claim on social media takes aim at his “enemies” pardoned by his predecessor Joe Biden, suggesting the pardons are invalid.
At the end of his term, Biden used his right as the U.S. president to grant preemptive pardons at the 11th hour to members of Congress who investigated the deadly January 6 attacks on the Capitol, during which Trump supporters stormed the building.
Biden’s pardons were granted to members of the January 6 committee over fears that Trump would attempt to seek revenge on them when he came into office – and it seems those fears were valid.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump claimed the pardons were “void, vacant and of no further effect” because, he claimed, they were allegedly signed with an autopen – a device that replicates a signature. Autopens have been used by many presidents and officials in the past to sign large numbers of documents.
Trump said that January 6 committee members would now be “subject to investigation at the highest level”. Without evidence to support it, Trump has repeatedly made the claim that the committee “destroyed” evidence related to the insurrection.
The president has once again seized on the claim repeated by conservatives that Biden was mentally unfit, claiming that the then-president didn’t know he was signing them.
Donald Trump and Joe BidenGetty Images
Trump’s full post made on baseless claims read:
“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 they were done by Autopen.
“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.
“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!”
On Trump’s first day back in office, he issued pardons to more than 1,500 people convicted of being involved in the riots in 2021 and called the attacks on police officers “minor incidents”. But, some rejected the pardon, saying they deserved to be punished for their actions.
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