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Posted on 05/17/2025 9:16:12 AM PDT by Twotone
Ed Martin, the incoming Department of Justice pardon attorney and director of the DOJ's Weaponization Working Group, announced Tuesday that he will review the rash of questionable "autopen" pardons issued in the final days of the Biden White House, noting that they "need some scrutiny."
"They need scrutiny because we want pardons to matter, and to be accepted, and to be something that's used correctly. So I do think we're going to take a hard look at how they went and what they did," Martin told reporters.
The Justice Department's probe could spell trouble for controversial Biden pardonees such as Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley, members of the Biden clan, and former members of the House Jan. 6 select committee — including Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), whom President Donald Trump and other Republicans have faulted for various alleged crimes and improprieties.
For instance, Trump has suggested that Milley may have committed "treason." While previously serving as Trump's most senior uniformed adviser, Milley called his communist Chinese counterpart, communist Gen. Li Zuocheng, on two occasions — four days before the 2020 election and on Jan. 8, 2021 — to reassure Zuocheng that he would provide him with actionable warnings should Trump decide to attack. Milley received a pardon just hours before former President Joe Biden left office.
Fauci, the fifth director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, received a "full and unconditional" pass for possible federal crimes going back to Jan. 1, 2014 — around the time the Obama administration supposedly halted funding for dangerous gain-of-function research.
In February, over 16 state attorneys general launched an investigation into Fauci's role in the COVID-19 pandemic response, "demanding accountability for alleged mismanagement, misleading statements, and suppression of scientific debate." Without his autopen pardon, Fauci would be legally exposed at both the state and federal levels.
"The American people were promised accountability, and I think Ed Martin is our best shot at it," Mike Howell, president of the Oversight Project, told Blaze News. "These pardons are fake and invalid, and the president has already said that is his view."
"When these people, like the January 6 Committee and particularly Adam Schiff, are charged and try defending their bogus pardon, then we will start to learn who was really running the White House," continued Howell. "We need to answer the question everyone is asking: Who was running the government the last four years?"
Blaze News reached out to the DOJ for comment but did not immediately receive a response. Schiff also did not respond to a question about whether he would mind losing his pardon, given that he indicated in December he didn't want it in the first place.
In early March, the Oversight Project revealed that Biden's signature on numerous pardons, executive orders, and other documents of national consequence was likely machine-generated.
The watchdog group later confirmed "the same exact Biden autopen signature" was used on the pardons for Fauci, Milley, and members of the Jan. 6 committee, as well as on the pardons for several members of Biden's family who were apparently involved in dodgy foreign deals with the former president and his felonious son Hunter Biden.
Biden's cognitive decline was already enough for Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R) and others to question the legal legitimacy of pardons bearing his machine-printed signature; however, suspicions about the validity of the documents was compounded by reports of staffers and family members making decisions on Biden's behalf; evidence that his signature appeared on documents while he was on vacation; Biden's alleged admission to having no recollection of a consequential January 2024 order to pause decisions on exports of liquefied natural gas; and a former Biden aide's claim to the New York Post that a key staffer, who was not named, was suspected of unilaterally making decisions to sign documents as the former president's mental faculties declined.
"The prolific use of autopen by the Biden White House was an instrument to hide the truth from the American people as to who was running the government," Howell told Blaze News at the time.
President Donald Trump soon weighed in on the autopen controversy, declaring in a March 17 post on Truth Social that 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. 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," continue Trump. "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."
Martin suggested Tuesday that while the mere use of autopen is itself not necessarily an issue, "No one, I think, with the standard of ... reasonableness thinks that what Joe Biden did at the end of his term was particularly reasonable."
"There are some really bad actors, some people that did some really bad things to the American people," continued Martin. "And if they can be charged, we'll charge them. But if they can't be charged, we will name them. ... And in a culture that respects shame, they should be people that are shamed. And that's a fact. That's the way things work, and so that's how I believe the job operates."
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clear gitmo, use the rico act like they did with the mob, conspiracy, racketeering, voter fraud, election interference, throw them in lock up like they did with J6 and await your trail
Bet those cockroaches are scurrying like crazy. lol
The move now is to put this all on Jill. BS while she shares a role as n this, she has no constitutional or any oath basis to make her the fall guy.
**********
Accountability hasn't been a high priority thus far. Its still early in the administration but it would be nice to see someone, anyone, in the DC Swamp get charged with something. Just saying.
Presidential Intent and Authorization: The key legal question is whether the President intended to issue the pardon and “authorized the use of the autopen.”
If the President “authorized the use of the autopen” to sign the pardon, then the pardon is likely valid, regardless of whether the signature was applied mechanically.
4. No Legal Precedent for Invalidation:
There is no legal precedent to suggest that pardons signed with an autopen are invalid.
Furthermore, there is no constitutional mechanism for overturning a pardon once it has been granted, regardless of the signature method, according to PBS NewsHour.
In summary: While the use of autopens for signing pardons might raise questions or concerns, the lack of a constitutional requirement for handwritten signatures, coupled with historical precedent and legal opinions, suggests that autopen-signed pardons are generally considered valid.
It will be highly amusing if blocking Ed Martin’s appointment in one position results in some real action in another. He should be highly motivated at this point.
Schiffty got a pardon for his crimes. What crimes?
Do we know for sure, who run the country last few years?
I think they should make some definite statement, who was really in charge!
There are allegation, but maybe the government should issue some kind of official Orgchart!
I would say, Biden would be somewhere down there as senior kibitzer.
It looks like federal law enforcement has come back from its 4 year detour into fascist lawfare under biden.
It took two years for the Democrats to charge Trump.
But the delay was caused because they had to fabricate the crimes before they charged him.
No fabrication necessary here.
I'm trying to be patient, put my patience is being tried.
I think at the end of the day the goal here is not to invalidate any of these fake pardons, but to bury the people who got the fake pardons in the legal process.
The process will be the punishment, and likely bankrupt some of these people. Also I think the other goal is to destroy their reputations such as they are, and continue to smear the Democrat Party between now and the next election. Democrat voters need to be reminded continuously of what corrupt scum they have been voting for. We need to keep those who moved over in the last election on our side.
Do we know for sure, who run the country last few years?
Trump knows this; this is why he makes a point of signing E.O.s and bills in front of a large number of press.
Treason!
Not a doubt about it...
Arguably, someone who is non compos mentis cannot authorize use of an auto pen. But the odds are against the administration going that far. The rules for substantiating use of the auto pen may have to be updated.
Fap Fap Fap is the point of these articles for all of you. What would you do if a real girl showed up?
Not only is it absolutely treason, it's weird. Trump has never indicated that he wants to go to war with any country. He fights by withholding aid and imposing tariffs, not launching missiles.
Furthermore, there is no constitutional mechanism for overturning a pardon once it has been granted, regardless of the signature method, according to PBS NewsHour.
In summary: While the use of autopens for signing pardons might raise questions or concerns, the lack of a constitutional requirement for handwritten signatures, coupled with historical precedent and legal opinions, suggests that autopen-signed pardons are generally considered valid.
Sounds like "absence of evidence equals evidence of absence." So in the absence of evidence that Biden even knew this was going on, ink on paper is the only thing that will stand up in court?
Trump ought to do something, then, using the autopen/pre-emptive pardon approach on a scale that would drive the Left into a screaming frenzy. Like... pre-emptive pardons for all ICE agents for anything they do 2025-2029. I wonder if that would bring out Democrats eager to be helpful in creating a framework for overturning pardons.
Good points.
Just charging one or two people shouldn’t be that hard and would send a powerful message that the clean up is underway. Trump’s term is short and his people need to start showing some sense of urgency in terms of imposing accountability IMO. If they continue dragging their feet there’s little chance of any reforms.
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