Trump Revokes Biden's Autopen Pardons and Sparks Calls to Prosecute Fauci
Right-wingers are demanding that Anthony Fauci be brought up on charges after President Donald Trump said he revoked all of President Joe Biden's autopen-signed executive orders and pardons. Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for nearly 40 years, received an autopen-signed pardon right before Trump retook the White House on January 20. Because Trump has long argued that the autopen signatures should not be treated as authentic - while also factoring in Biden's cognitive decline - Republicans are voicing their belief that Fauci could be prosecuted for alleged wrongdoing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Marjorie Taylor Greene led the charge, writing on X Friday that if 'autopen pardons are repealed then prosecute Fauci for crimes against humanity'. The Daily Mail approached Greene's office for further comment. Nicolas Hulscher, an epidemiologist who works with the McCullough Foundation, said it was 'time to PROSECUTE Anthony Fauci.' The McCullough Foundation is known in part for spreading the unsubstantiated claim that vaccines are leading cause of autism. Another account on X pointed out that Fauci has been referred for criminal charges by Senator Rand Paul, who claims the doctor lied to Congress about gain of function research in Wuhan, China. Some US intelligence agencies, including the FBI, CIA and Energy Department, all believe with varying degrees of confidence that the SARS-CoV-2 virus could have leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Now that President Donald Trump said he has revoked President Joe Biden's autopen-signed pardons, some conservatives want to see Anthony Fauci, who received a pardon, be prosecuted Marjorie Taylor Greene led the charge, saying on Friday that if 'autopen pardons are repealed then prosecute Fauci for crimes against humanity'. Greene's reaction to Trump's decision to revoke Biden's pardons
Elon Musk and Rand Paul Join Calls to Prosecute Fauci Over Autopen Controversy
Elon Musk has repeatedly called for Fauci to be prosecuted. In a November 2024 post to X, the Tesla and SpaceX founder wrote: 'My pronouns are still prosecute/Fauci.' That came after a similar post two years before that where Musk claimed Fauci 'lied to Congress' and funded 'research that killed millions of people.' In early 2023, Fauci called Musk’s claims against him 'insanity.' He said: 'Prosecute me for what? What are they talking about? I wish I could figure out what the heck they’re talking about. I think they’re just going off the deep end.' Presidents are legally permitted to undo executive orders that were signed by their predecessors and it happens all the time. Trump is the only president who has tried to revoke pardons, a type of executive action, that were already accepted by the intended recipient. What will end up coming of this remains an open question, because most legal scholars agree that Trump does not have the power to overturn clemency that has already been given to people. The Constitution gives the president broad, unilateral authority to issue commutations to citizens. Biden was threatened with perjury charges by Trump. He claimed Biden lied about being involved in the executive orders that were signed by the autopen. His only hand-signed pardon during his final months in office was also his most pivotal - the order signed for his son, Hunter. The Constitution also has no language that explicitly states that executive orders or other documents need to be physically signed by the president's hand. Constitutional scholar Jonathan Turley said in March that if Trump challenges Biden's autopen pardons in court, his chances of succeeding would be 'vanishingly low.' Trump did not just threaten all the people Biden pardoned, he also threatened the man himself. 'Joe Biden was not involved in the Autopen process and, if he says he was, he will be brought up on charges of perjury,' Trump wrote Friday on Truth Social. Biden signed 162 executive orders during his tenure. Among them were the autopen-signed pardons of Fauci, General Mark Milley, and members of the January 6 committee. Biden also pardoned family members - James B. Biden, Sara Jones Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, John T. Owens, and Francis W. Biden - on his last full day in office. His only hand-signed pardon during his final months in office was also his most pivotal - the order signed for his son, Hunter. Biden claims he personally authorized every single pardon and commutation where the autopen was used. An image of an autopen signing by former US President Joe Biden is displayed in place of a portrait of Biden at the 'Presidential Walk of Fame' in the White House. Biden's actual signature is seen above as he signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022. A file photo of an autopen is seen above. Biden used the device during his final months in office to sign pardons. The device, which has been used by Republican and Democratic presidents including Trump, replicates signatures. Trump says he only uses the autopen to sign insignificant papers and that it should not be used for important orders, such as pardons. The Republican-led House Oversight Committee last month asked the Justice Department to carry out a review of every single executive order made by Biden. It released a lengthy report which described a deeply 'flawed process', akin to a 'presidential pardon game of telephone' used in the Biden White House. 'The Committee has found that President Biden's aides coordinated a cover-up of the president's diminishing faculties,' it said.
Legal and Constitutional Questions Hover as Autopen Debates Continue
What happens next remains an open question, because most legal scholars agree that Trump does not have the power to overturn clemency that has already been given to people. The Constitution gives the president broad, unilateral authority to issue commutations to citizens. Constitutional scholar Jonathan Turley said in March that if Trump challenges Biden's autopen pardons in court, his chances of succeeding would be 'vanishingly low.' Trump did not just threaten all the people Biden pardoned, he also threatened the man himself. 'Joe Biden was not involved in the Autopen process and, if he says he was, he will be brought up on charges of perjury,' Trump wrote Friday on Truth Social. Biden signed 162 executive orders during his tenure. Among them were the autopen-signed pardons of Fauci, General Milley, and members of the January 6 committee. Biden also pardoned family members - James B. Biden, Sara Jones Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, John T. Owens, and Francis W. Biden - on his last full day in office. His only hand-signed pardon during his final months in office was also his most pivotal - the order signed for his son, Hunter. Biden claims he personally authorized every single pardon and commutation where the autopen was used. An image of an autopen signing by former US President Joe Biden is displayed in place of a portrait of Biden at the 'Presidential Walk of Fame' in the White House. Biden's actual signature is seen above as he signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022. A file photo of an autopen is seen above. Biden used the device during his final months in office to sign pardons. The device, which has been used by Republican and Democratic presidents including Trump, replicates signatures. Trump says he only uses the autopen to sign insignificant papers and that it should not be used for important orders, such as pardons. The Republican-led House Oversight Committee last month asked the Justice Department to carry out a review of every single executive order made by Biden. It released a lengthy report which described a deeply 'flawed process', akin to a 'presidential pardon game of telephone' used in the Biden White House. 'The Committee has found that President Biden's aides coordinated a cover-up of the president's diminishing faculties,' it said.
