President Donald Trump on Monday said pardons issued by his predecessor Joe Biden were null and void because they had been signed by an autopen.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump said the pardons, particularly those issued for critics who had investigated him over alleged attempts to overturn his 2020 electoral defeat, were "void, vacant and of no further force of effect".
"Joe Biden did not sign them but, more importantly, he did not know anything about them!" he wrote. "The necessary Pardoning Documents were not explained to, or approved by, Biden. He knew nothing about them, and the people that did may have committed a crime."
An autopen is a mechanical device that replicates a handwritten signature. It is often used when a person needs to sign several documents in a row. In 2005, the Department of Justice issued an opinion stating "the President need not personally perform the physical act of affixing his signature to a bill he approves and decides to sign in order for the bill to become law".
In the last days of his administration, Mr Biden issued pre-emptive pardons for former senior Republican legislator Liz Cheney, as well as other members of the congressional committee who had investigated Mr Trump's role in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, as well as his alleged election interference.
The pardons were meant to provide blanket immunity to the legislators after Mr Trump, during his campaign, repeatedly threatened to seek "retribution" against his political opponents.
"A lot of journalists should be asking about whether or not the former president of the United States ... was cognitively impaired," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. "The President was raising the point that, did the president [Mr Biden] even know about these pardons? Was his legal signature used without his consent or knowledge?"
Last week, Mr Trump said it would be "up to a court" to ultimately decide the validity of pardons signed via autopen.
The US President has heavily relied on executive orders to advance his agenda and has famously been using Sharpie pens when signing orders in the Oval Office in front of the media.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
BLACKBERRY
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Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
SPECS
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Du Plessis plans his retirement
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said on Friday the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia in two years' time will be his last.
Du Plessis, 34, who has led his country in two World T20 campaigns, in 2014 and 2016, is keen to play a third but will then step aside.
"The T20 World Cup in 2020 is something I'm really looking forward to. I think right now that will probably be the last tournament for me," he said in Brisbane ahead of a one-off T20 against Australia on Saturday.
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
