Former President Joe Biden defended his decision to use an autopen for signing his final pardons, explaining the administration\u2019s rationale for employing the device in a recently published interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The conversation with The New York Times focused specifically on his use of the autopen to execute the last round of clemency measures at the close of his term. In those final weeks, Biden granted pardons and clemency to over 1,500 individuals, what the White House described at the time as the largest single-day act of clemency by any U.S. president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his interview, Biden told the Times he \u201cmade every decision\u201d on his own. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about [granting clemency to] a whole lot of people,\u201d Biden told the paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But that said, the Times reported that the then-president \u201cdid not individually approve each name for the categorical pardons that applied to large numbers of people,\u201d according to Biden himself and his aides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRather, 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,\u201d the Times\u2019s report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rather than repeatedly requesting that the president sign updated versions of official documents, his staff employed an autopen to affix Biden\u2019s signature to the final drafts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also Read : White House Releases Situation Room Photos Of Trump, Vance During Iran Operation<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n His explanation came amid Republican criticism of his extensive use of the autopen on a large volume of formal paperwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In June, President Donald Trump issued a memo to the Justice Department instructing Attorney General Pam Bondi to probe the autopen\u2019s use and assess whether it reflected a decline in Biden\u2019s mental faculties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn recent months, it has become increasingly apparent that former President Biden\u2019s aides abused the power of Presidential signatures through the use of an autopen to conceal Biden\u2019s cognitive decline and assert Article II authority,\u201d Trump wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis conspiracy marks one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history. The American public was purposefully shielded from discovering who wielded the executive power, all while Biden\u2019s signature was deployed across thousands of documents to effect radical policy shifts,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In June, Trump told reporters he believed using an autopen was \u201cinappropriate,\u201d even though past presidents have employed the device, Fox News reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUsually, when they put documents in front of you, they\u2019re important,\u201d Trump said. \u201cEven if you\u2019re signing ambassadorships or \u2013 and I consider that important, I think it\u2019s inappropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou have somebody that\u2019s devoting four years of their life or more to being an ambassador. I think you really deserve, that person deserves to get a real signature\u2026 not an autopen signature,\u201d he noted further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, the Justice Department has notified<\/a> a federal court that it is conducting an ongoing review of documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as part of a Freedom of Information Act case filed by legal group Judicial Watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Monday, the Department of Justice and Judicial Watch submitted a joint status report<\/a> regarding the watchdog group\u2019s lawsuit from April about a FOIA request made in February for records related to Epstein, Just the News reported. Part of Judicial Watch\u2019s request was for records \u201cdepicting the identities of clients or associates of Epstein.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The watchdog group filed the lawsuit against both the DOJ and FBI after \u201cthey failed to adequately respond to three separate FOIA request.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n