Washington: US President Donald Trump announced that he was nullifying all documents signed by autopen during the presidency of his predecessor, Joe Biden, a move that could invalidate a wide range of executive actions issued between 2021 and 2024.
Trump made the announcement in a post on his Truth Social platform on Friday, claiming that Biden had relied heavily on the mechanical signing device. “Any document signed by Sleepy Joe Biden with the Autopen, which was approximately 92% of them, is hereby terminated, and of no further force or effect,” he wrote.
He added that he was “cancelling all Executive Orders, and anything else that was not directly signed by Crooked Joe Biden, because the people who operated the Autopen did so illegally.”
Trump did not specify which existing directives would be affected. Biden issued 162 executive orders during his term. It remains unclear how many were signed by autopen and who will verify the authenticity of the signatures.
The use of an autopen is legal in the United States for presidential signatures on legislation, executive orders, and certain documents, provided that the president authorises its use.
Trump, however, has alleged that Biden did not personally approve the signatures and has suggested, without providing evidence, that aides may have acted without his consent.
Trump also warned that if Biden asserts he was involved in the autopen process, “he will be brought up on charges of perjury.”
Biden has previously dismissed Trump’s claims. In June, he said, “Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false.”
The issue of autopen usage has precedent. In 2011, Barack Obama became the first US president known to sign a bill into law using the device while he was abroad.
In his final days in office, Biden issued a series of pardons, including for his son and several officials involved in investigations of Trump, actions that may now draw scrutiny under the new order.
(IANS)
