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Former President Joe Biden told the New York Times that he granted his staff the use of his autopen because he “had granted clemency to so many people.”
The New York Times says, "Donald J. Trump and his allies have begun investigations to support their claims that Joseph R. Biden Jr. was incapacitated and his staff conspired to take presidential actions in his name."
Of course, the NYT has arrived on the scene to be sure that America and the world understand that President Biden was fully aware of what his staff was doing with his autopen.
Nothing to see here.
Be informed, not misled.
The New York Times says, "Former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. is escalating his battle against Republican claims that he might not have been in control of high-profile clemency decisions issued under his name at the end of his term and, more generally, that his cognitive state impaired his functioning in office."
In an excerpt from the interview, Biden said he “made every single one of those” decisions and that Republicans were questioning them because “they’ve done so badly” and wanted to shift the focus.
"Mr. Biden told the NYT that he granted large batch commutations to reduce the sentences of three categories of federal convicts: shielding about 1,500 people who had been serving home confinement since the pandemic from being forced back to prison; reducing the sentences of about 2,500 nonviolent drug offenders to what they would have received under current policies; and turning the sentences of 37 of the 40 inmates on death row into life without parole."
The Times also reports that he granted pardons to several people whose cases have received political attention, including pre-emptive pardons to people who had drawn the ire of Mr. Trump.
Among them were members and staff of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, along with Capitol Police officers who testified before the panel, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the retired Gen. Mark A. Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and members of Mr. Biden’s family.
"Mr. Biden: Are you incapacitated?"
Quote: They’re liars. They know it. They know, for certain. I mean, this is — look, what they, they’ve had a pretty good thing going here. They’ve done so badly. They’ve lied so consistently about almost everything they’re doing. The best thing they can do is try to change the focus and focus on something else. And this is a — I think that’s what this is about.
It’s — you know — it’s consistent with Trump’s game plan all along. I mean, if I — I don’t expect you to answer any questions — but if I told you three years ago, we’d have a president doing this, I think you’d look at me in the eye and say, “What, are you, crazy?”
Why did you grant pre-emptive pardons to your family?
Quote: In terms of my fam — he — go after me through my family. I know how vindictive he is. I mean, everybody knows how vindictive he is. So we knew that they’d do what they’re doing now. [laughs]
And my family didn’t do anything wrong. My sister, my brother-in-law, my — my brother, etc. And — and all it would do is, if they, if he went after them, would be, is run up legal bills. I just, I just know how he operates. And so I made — but I consciously made all those decisions, among others.
The New York Times goes to great lengths to detail the hours and hours that President Biden met with the staff members who were using the autopen to sign the President's name to the various documents, pardons, etc.
However, the Daily Caller notes that the NYT does admit that towards the end of his administration, when Biden granted clemency and pardons in large batches, the former president didn’t personally approve each name, but rather signed off on criteria and standards for such.
In another instance, the Caller says, "small changes were made or names were added to the list but Biden wasn’t notified of each adjustment, the NYT reported. Instead, his staff would run the final version through the autopen, rather than asking Biden’s permission on each change, an aide told the NYT. Such a procedure was routine, the source added."
Trump weighs in on Biden and the autopen.
“Joe Biden was not for Open Borders, he never talked about Open Borders, where criminals of all kinds, shapes, and sizes, can flow into our Country at will,” Trump wrote in a May TruthSocial post “It wasn’t his idea to Open the Border, and almost destroy our Country, and cost us Hundreds of Billions of Dollars to get criminals out of our Country, and go through the process we are going through now. It was the people who knew he was cognitively impaired, and that took over the Autopen. They stole the Presidency of the United States and put us in Great Danger.”
“This is TREASON at the Highest Level! They did it to destroy our Country. The Joe Biden that everybody knew would never allow drug dealers, gang members, and the mentally insane to come into our Country totally unchecked and unvetted. All anyone has to do is look up his record,” he continued. “Something very severe should happen to these Treasonous Thugs that wanted to destroy our Country, but couldn’t, because I came along. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Yes, indeed.
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged. Be Bold. Be Prayerful.
