U.S. President Donald Trump has made a move to invalidate some of the eleventh-hour pardons issued by his predecessor, Joe Biden, as part of a series of actions targeting his political adversaries.
The pardons that Trump has declared void include those granted to members of the U.S. House of Representatives who were investigating the January 6, 2020, Capitol riot by Trump supporters. Other individuals pardoned by Biden just before leaving office on January 20, 2025, include Dr. Anthony Fauci, who played a key role in the COVID-19 response, and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley.
On his ‘Truth Social’ media platform, Trump announced, “The ‘Pardons’ that Sleepy Joe Biden gave to the Unselect Committee of Political Thugs, and many others, are hereby declared VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT, because of the fact that they were done by Autopen.”
The Select Committee formed to investigate the January 6 events included Republican critics of Trump like Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, as well as Democrat Adam Schiff. Trump had previously pardoned or commuted sentences for over 1,500 cases related to the Capitol riot on his first day in office.
Trump alleged that Biden did not personally sign the pardons and suggested that members of the Select Committee might have been responsible for signing them without Biden’s knowledge.
However, Trump acknowledged that the courts would ultimately determine the validity of his attempts to rescind the pardons. He stated, “It’s not my decision…that’ll be up to a court.”
Both Biden and Trump have utilized the pardon power to protect allies and family members, with the courts generally reluctant to limit the President’s authority in this regard. The pardoning power, as outlined in Article II Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, is broad but limited to offenses against the United States, excluding impeachment cases.
Published – March 17, 2025 06:35 pm IST
