HOLY SMOKES: SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler Just Revealed She is Suspending ALL…
The Daily Beast quoted Biden dismissing Republican criticism: “That is utter BS,” he said, responding to allegations that he had no hand in the clemency spree.
Time added context, noting, “Emails show Biden’s chief of staff, Jeff Zients, approved the use of the autopen to execute clemency documents on the president’s behalf.”
In the same article, the legal implications were underscored: “While it is legally permissible, it is extremely rare for a president to use an autopen to sign something as consequential as a clemency order.”
Republican leaders swiftly seized on the opportunity to highlight Biden’s detachment. House Oversight Chair James Comer was quoted as saying, “This isn’t just about a signature. It’s about transparency, accountability, and who really was making decisions in that White House.”
Comer continued, as cited in ABC News, “We are investigating whether this use of the autopen was a way to obscure Biden’s declining capacity and whether any of the beneficiaries had connections to the administration.”
The legal debate over autopen use isn’t new, but Biden’s large-scale application is unprecedented. According to Time, “It has never been used on this scale or for something with the constitutional gravity of a pardon.”
Even some Democrats were privately concerned. One DNC strategist, speaking anonymously to Politico, said, “It feeds the narrative that Biden isn’t all there.”
The same strategist added, “If he wasn’t fully engaged on something as serious as clemency, what else was he rubber-stamping?”
In response to concerns, the Daily Beast reported that Biden maintained, “Each recipient was vetted and met the established standards for clemency.”
