Speaker Mike Johnson argues Biden pardons ‘invalid’ after autopen report
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House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., questioned the validity of pardons granted by former President Joe Biden following the release of a high-profile report by the House Oversight Committee.
“It sounds like a terrible novel or something, but it’s real,” Johnson said in response to House GOP allegations that Biden’s inner circle conspired to hide signs of mental decline in the former president.
“And so, for example, pardons, he pardoned categories of violent criminals and released them onto the streets and he didn’t even know who he was. He apparently didn’t even know what the categories were, let alone the individual people he pardoned.”
Johnson said the pardons were “on their face invalid”.
Spokesman Mike Johnson said he believes former President Joe Biden’s automatic signature pardons are “invalid.” (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc; Scott Eisen/Getty Images via Getty Images)
“So I was a constitutional plaintiff. I would love to take that case,” he said.
The committee’s GOP majority released a 100-page report Tuesday morning detailing the findings of its months-long investigation into Biden’s White House, specifically whether his inner circle concealed signs of mental decline in the former president and whether the alleged cover-up included executive actions signed via autopen without Biden’s full awareness.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., cast doubt on whether Biden actually signed off on all of his executive actions when autopen was used, particularly the thousands of pardon orders he authorized during his term.
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, during a hearing in Washington on March 20, 2024. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Comer said Biden’s automatically authorized actions should be deemed “null and void” and called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to review the matter.
Asked at the press conference whether there was a legal way to invalidate Biden’s executive actions signed by autopen, Johnson signaled that he saw such an opportunity, especially regarding Biden’s pardons.
“You can’t have a president allow unelected, unaccountable, faceless people to make big decisions for the country,” Johnson said.
But a spokesperson for Biden pushed back on the committee’s conclusions in a statement to Fox News Digital on Tuesday morning.
“This investigation into baseless allegations confirmed what was clear from the beginning: President Biden made the decisions of his presidency. There was no conspiracy, cover-up, or wrongdoing. Republicans in Congress should stop focusing on political revenge and instead work to end the government shutdown,” the spokesperson said.
In an interview with New York Times In July, Biden confirmed that he “makes every decision on his own.”
