Author Topic: Biden defends controversial autopen use for mass clemency decisions in NYT interview: 'A whole lot o (Read 521 times)

mystery-ak · « **on:** July 13, 2025, 09:54:34 pm »

Biden defends controversial autopen use for mass clemency decisions in NYT interview: 'A whole lot of people'
Biden said he 'made every decision' on pardons despite autopen controversy
By Andrea Margolis Fox News
Published July 13, 2025 9:10pm EDT

Former President Joe Biden defended his use of an autopen during a recent interview, shedding light on his administration's rationale for the controversial use of the technology.

The interview with the New York Times was centered around his use of an autopen during the last pardons that he made during the end of his administration.

In his final weeks in office, Biden granted clemency and pardoned more than 1,500 individuals, in what the White House described at the time as the largest single-day act of clemency by a U.S. president.

Speaking to the Times on Thursday, Biden said that he "made every decision" on his own.

"We’re talking about [granting clemency to] a whole lot of people," the Democrat said.

However, the Times reported that Biden "did not individually approve each name for the categorical pardons that applied to large numbers of people," according to the former president and his aides.

"Rather, after extensive discussion of different possible criteria, [Biden] signed off on the standards he wanted to be used to determine which convicts would qualify for a reduction in sentence," the Times's report read.

Instead of repeatedly asking the president to resign updated versions of official documents, his staff used an autopen to put Biden's signature on the final version.

Biden's comments came as Republicans attacked him for his autopen use on a massive number of official documents.

In June, President Donald Trump sent a memo to the Department of Justice directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate the autopen use, and to determine whether it was related to a decline in Biden's mental state.

more
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-defends-controversial-autopen-use-mass-clemency-decisions-nyt-interview-a-whole-lot-people

mystery-ak · « **Reply #1 on:** July 13, 2025, 09:55:19 pm »

However, the Times reported that Biden "did not individually approve each name for the categorical pardons that applied to large numbers of people," according to the former president and his aides.

So he's lying, he did not approve of all of them...

Wingnut · « **Reply #2 on:** July 13, 2025, 09:58:00 pm »

Quote from: mystery-ak on July 13, 2025, 09:55:19 pm

However, the Times reported that Biden "did not individually approve each name for the categorical pardons that applied to large numbers of people," according to the former president and his aides.

So he's lying, he did not approve of all of them...

Joe couldn't approve a diaper change according to the former president and his aide.

mountaineer · « **Reply #3 on:** July 13, 2025, 10:11:59 pm »

He barely can approve tonight's choice of ice cream flavors.

Canuck Conservative · « **Reply #4 on:** July 13, 2025, 11:24:15 pm »

How do we know Biden actually gave this interview, instead of it being fabricated by some lawyers?

Hey, they fabricated the Steele Dossier, why wouldn't they make this up to try to stop the investigations into the AutoPen??

mountaineer · « **Reply #5 on:** July 14, 2025, 07:29:58 am »

Milley's preemptive pardon was approved by a WH assistant and signed by autopen. Same with Fauci, et al. Void? Time for criminal charges?

https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1944604312807571530

American Girl · « **Reply #6 on:** July 14, 2025, 07:36:39 am »

Excerpt:
The Biden Autopen Scandal just detonated on a national scale—and the New York Times just confirmed what many suspected all along: Joe Biden didn’t personally approve all the pardons issued under his name.
According to explosive emails and testimony uncovered by the Oversight Project and detailed by the Times, thousands of acts of clemency were rubber-stamped using an autopen, not a signature from Biden himself.

Among the most shocking details:

Staff Secretary Stefanie Feldman ran clemency records through the autopen—even after new changes were made to the inmate list that Biden never saw.

EVERYTHING signed with his autopen should be null and void.
And Dems and their media point to this as proof that Biden knew what he was doing and authorized it.

Remember that time when the same people accused Trump of stealing top secert documents when he left the Whitehouse?

https://www.rightjournalism.com/breaking-biden-autopen-scandal-explodes-nyt-confirms-he-didnt-sign-off-on-all-pardons-zeints-approved-fauci-and-j6-committee-here-are-the-most-shocking-details/

mountaineer · « **Reply #7 on:** July 14, 2025, 07:55:11 am »

From the NYT article:

Biden decided nothing.

mountaineer · « **Reply #8 on:** July 14, 2025, 09:24:05 am »

It appears Joe didn't remember his own last name when he personally signed Hunter's pardon - the only non-autopen one. Was he going to write "Dad"?

https://twitter.com/HansMahncke/status/1944592845232386163

mystery-ak · « **Reply #9 on:** July 14, 2025, 10:25:04 am »

https://twitter.com/ElectionWiz/status/1944593953539379673

DefiantMassRINO · « **Reply #10 on:** July 14, 2025, 10:27:43 am »

If it was not personally signed by the President, it's a fraud - null and void.

The purpose of the signature is for document authentication. If it was not personally signed, it's not authentic.

Free Vulcan · « **Reply #11 on:** July 14, 2025, 10:37:02 am »

As much as I want to nullify some of those late pardons, it's the EO's and legislation I want negated. NYT is capitulating on the pardons in hopes that will satisfy and the other overlooked and not pursued.

mountaineer · « **Reply #12 on:** July 14, 2025, 10:46:03 am »

Quote from: Free Vulcan on July 14, 2025, 10:37:02 am

As much as I want to nullify some of those late pardons, it's the EO's and legislation I want negated.

Absolutely. Everything signed by President Otto Penn must go.

mystery-ak · « **Reply #13 on:** July 14, 2025, 10:47:24 am »

July 14, 2025
‘Blurb’ and ‘Batch’ Pardons
By M. Walter

Barack Obama famously uttered that one should never underestimate Joe Biden’s ability to eff things up, and it appears he’s done exactly that in a recent interview.

On July 13th, The New York Times published an edited transcription of a “10-minute” phone interview with former-president Biden, which was conducted on Thursday published Sunday night as Excerpts From The Times’s Interview With Biden on Clemency Decisions. The topic was the autopen.

I’d recommend you read it if only to judge for yourself. The man’s brain is not functioning at par, and even with friendly editing, his thoughts are jumbled — at best.

In the introductory paragraph to the excerpts, The Times makes this banger of a declarative sentence:

Mr. Biden did not personally sign the official warrants recording those [4,000] decisions; rather his White House staff used an autopen device to do so.

And just in case there’s any doubt whatsoever that ol’ Joe had absolutely no idea who was among the 4,000 acts of clemency, there’s this simple declarative sentence from Joe himself:

The only things that really we read off names for [emphasis added] were, for example, you know, was I, what was I going to do about, for example, Mark Milley?

more
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/07/blurb_and_batch_pardons.html

rangerrebew · « **Reply #14 on:** July 14, 2025, 10:50:41 am »

BREAKING: Leaked Emails Reveal the NAME Of Who Approved Fauci’s Pardon Using Biden’s Autopen!
By Kaley | Jul 14, 2025

And there it is…

We now have the name of the person who approved Dr. Anthony Fauci’s pardon using Joe Biden’s autopen.

According to emails that were leaked to The New York Times, White House aide Jeff Zients approved the use of autopen to sign off on Fauci’s pardon.

Take a look at this major new development:

The New York Times report reads:

https://100percentfedup.com/breaking-leaked-emails-reveal-name-who-approved-faucis/

Mod2 · « **Reply #15 on:** July 14, 2025, 11:03:44 am »

Topics merged

mountaineer · « **Reply #16 on:** July 14, 2025, 11:18:30 am »

Link to the NYT article below.

“Mr. Biden himself has hired a new personal lawyer, Amy Jeffress of Hecker Fink.”

Jeffress is married to DC District Court Judge Chris Cooper. He is presiding over a few lawsuits against the president.

https://twitter.com/julie_kelly2/status/1944748229326762465

mystery-ak · « **Reply #17 on:** July 14, 2025, 11:53:20 am »

https://twitter.com/nicksortor/status/1944786586488406063

mystery-ak · « **Reply #18 on:** July 14, 2025, 12:20:15 pm »

Biden chief of staff reportedly gave approval for autopen pardons on final day in office
'I approve the use of the autopen for the execution of all of the following pardons,' Biden's chief of staff Jeff Zients wrote in an email
By Diana Stancy Fox News
Published July 14, 2025 10:39am EDT | Updated July 14, 2025 11:03am EDT

Former President Joe Biden’s chief of staff issued final approval for multiple high-profile preemptive pardons during Biden’s final days in office, according to a new report.

Biden’s alleged use of the autopen has become a sticking point for months, as President Donald Trump has said thousands of pardons Biden signed were void and claimed that the former president did not know what documents he was signing through the automated device.

Biden issued a series of preemptive pardons on his final day to officials including former Chief Medical Advisor to the President, Anthony Fauci, and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley in an attempt to safeguard them from retribution from Trump.

In an article intended to be his defense for the autopen issue, it emerged that, although Biden reportedly made the decision in a meeting, Biden’s Chief of Staff Jeff Zients is the one who gave final approval for the use of the autopen, at least in the case of Fauci and Milley, the New York Times reported.

On Biden’s final day as president, Jan. 19, Biden had a meeting with his aides until nearly 10 p.m. to talk about various preemptive pardons, the Times reports. Emails obtained by the Times show that an aide sent a summary draft of the decisions formalized during that meeting to Zient’s assistant at 10:03 p.m.

The assistant sent the email to Zients and others present in the meeting, requesting approval from Zients and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Bruce Reed at 10:28 p.m., the Times reported. Zients replied all to the email three minutes later, the outlet said.

"I approve the use of the autopen for the execution of all of the following pardons," Zients said in the email, according to the Times.

Zients could not be immediately reached for comment by Fox News Digital.

Additionally, the Times report said that Biden did not personally approve each name included in the broad, categorical pardons.

"Rather, after extensive discussion of different possible criteria, he signed off on the standards he wanted to be used to determine which convicts would qualify for a reduction in sentence," the Times reported.

In response, the White House said that the report shed light on Biden’s trustworthiness, and accused the Biden administration of engaging in a cover-up scheme.

more
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-chief-staff-reportedly-gave-approval-autopen-pardons-final-day-office

mystery-ak · « **Reply #19 on:** July 14, 2025, 01:35:53 pm »

‘The Guy’s Brain Is Mush’: Joe Biden’s Quotes in NYT Interview Deemed ‘Unintelligible’

Former President Joe Biden’s (D) ability to process and respond to information is again being called into question after a recent interview.

Amy Furr 14 Jul 2025

Former President Joe Biden’s (D) ability to process and respond to information is once again being called into question after an interview with the New York Times (NYT).

Biden spoke with the newspaper over the phone on Thursday and was questioned about clemency actions he took as his time in the White House drew to a close, the Times reported on Sunday.

“Mr. Biden did not personally sign the official warrants recording those decisions; rather his White House staff used an autopen device to do so,” the article said.

The newspaper then shared excerpts from the interview.

Regarding allegations from President Trump and others that “Biden was incapacitated and his aides abused the autopen” the former president claimed:

They’re liars. They know it. They know, for certain. I mean, this is — look, what they, they’ve had a pretty good thing going here. They’ve done so badly. They’ve lied so consistently about almost everything they’re doing. The best thing they can do is try to change the focus and focus on something else. And this is a — I think that’s what this is about.

It’s — you know — it’s consistent with Trump’s game plan all along. I mean, if I — I don’t expect you to answer any questions — but if I told you three years ago, we’d have a president doing this, I think you’d look at me in the eye and say, “What, are you crazy?”

About the pre-emptive pardons he bestowed on his own family members, he said, “In terms of my fam — he — go after me through my family. I know how vindictive he is.”

Those quotes are from “excerpts” of the interview published by the Times.

In response to the Times article, Outkick founder Clay Travis called Biden’s statements “completely unintelligible.”

“Read this. The guy’s brain is mush. He has no idea what’s going on, zero chance he made all these pardon decisions,” he wrote in a social media post:

https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/1944600393599668607

more
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/07/14/guys-brain-is-mush-joe-bidens-quotes-nyt-interview-deemed-unintelligible/

mystery-ak · « **Reply #20 on:** July 14, 2025, 02:03:32 pm »

https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/1944811127201734867

Canuck Conservative · « **Reply #21 on:** July 14, 2025, 02:10:33 pm »

Biden can't delegate Autopen use, it's for the exclusive use of the President. The Constitution is very clear on that.

So if that's their excuse now, then expect a lot of pardons, executive orders, and legislation to be invalidated.

mystery-ak · « **Reply #22 on:** July 14, 2025, 02:13:04 pm »

Liz Cheney, Dr. Fauci In Legal Peril After Bombshell Autopen Pardon Revelations

Published 4 hours ago

on July 14, 2025

By Mark Steffen

Republicans are salivating over disclosures in former President Joe Biden’s latest interview with the New York Times where he rebuts the charge that he lacked knowledge about the pardons of Liz Cheney, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and family members before staff used his autopen to enshrine their freedom.

The interview signaled Biden’s intent to step up a defense of his final weeks in office, which were marred by the unprecedented pardoning of his son Hunter Biden on tax and gun charges. Biden told the Times that he approved every pardon, but in the same breath admitted he “did not individually approve” each name presented to him.

Instead, he “signed off on the standards” he wanted to use for determining if a pardon should be granted, the outlet reported.

Biden insisted that his lack of knowledge about specific pardons was only contained to convicted criminals, including 37 of 40 individuals on federal death row who saw their sentences commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

“Rather than ask Biden to keep signing revised versions, his staff waited and then ran the final version thru the autopen, which they saw as…routine,” the story states.

Given his administration’s lack of transparency around his declining mental acuity, Republicans remain suspicious about the possibility that top aides used his autopen to issue at least some of the high-profile pardons without his knowledge.

“Every Democrat in Washington better get asked about this tomorrow,” GOP strategist Matt Whitlock wrote on social media Sunday night.

The U.S. House Oversight Committee “will continue pursuing answers about this historic scandal to prevent such an abuse from happening again,” its Chair James Comer (R-KY) responded.

more
https://trendingpoliticsnews.com/just-in-liz-cheney-dr-fauci-in-legal-peril-after-bombshell-autopen-pardon-revelations-mstef/

Free Vulcan · « **Reply #23 on:** July 14, 2025, 02:24:20 pm »

Quote

Biden insisted that his lack of knowledge about specific pardons was only contained to convicted criminals, including 37 of 40 individuals on federal death row who saw their sentences commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Read the signaling people, understand Rat psychology. They are falling back and retrenching to legislation and EO's as a defensive line so as to keep them from being nullified.

They could care less about Cheney or Fauci.