Washington: US President Donald Trump has announced that he is nullifying all documents signed by autopen during the presidency of his predecessor, Joe Biden, a step that could potentially affect a wide range of executive actions taken between 2021 and 2024. Trump claimed in a post on his Truth Social platform on Friday that Biden had relied extensively on the mechanical signing device and asserted that any document signed in this way was “terminated” and without legal effect.
“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.
Trump said he was cancelling all executive orders and “anything else” not directly signed by Biden, alleging that those who operated the autopen did so illegally and insisting that the device could not be used without specific presidential authorisation. He further alleged, without providing evidence, that Biden was “not involved in the autopen process” and warned that if the former president stated otherwise, he would face charges of perjury.
The Republican president did not clarify which existing directives would be affected by his declaration or how his administration would determine which documents had been signed with the device. Biden issued 162 executive orders during his term, but it remains unclear how many were signed by autopen and who, if anyone, will be tasked with verifying the authenticity or mode of signature.
The use of an autopen is permitted in the United States for presidential signatures on legislation, executive orders and other official documents, provided the president authorises its use. Several modern presidents have made use of the device, particularly when travelling or unavailable to sign in person, and legal and historical practice has generally treated such signatures as valid if they reflect the president’s will.
Trump’s move is expected to trigger legal and political debate over the status of Biden-era actions, including a series of pardons issued in the final days of his administration, among them for his son and several officials involved in investigations related to Trump. Biden has previously rejected Trump’s claims about his decision-making, stressing in earlier remarks that he personally took responsibility for pardons, executive orders, legislation and proclamations during his presidency and dismissing suggestions to the contrary as false.
(Inputs from IANS)