BREAKING: Joe Biden Admits to New York Times That…
Joe Biden admitted to The New York Times that he did not personally sign off on every pardon and commutation issued during his presidency, an acknowledgment that has sparked intense debate over how involved he truly was in carrying out one of the most consequential powers of the office.
“I made every decision on the categories and top-level individuals, but the mechanics were left to staff,” Biden told the Times. That sentence alone sent shockwaves through political and legal communities.
According to the New York Post, Biden’s White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients authorized the use of the autopen to execute a sweeping set of clemency actions on January 19, 2025. This included about 2,500 pardons and 1,500 commutations.
The New York Post confirmed, “Biden admitted that he didn’t review every clemency case individually and that his chief of staff, Jeff Zients, authorized the use of the autopen.”
The same report added, “The autopen application, which Biden also used to sign some legislation, allowed staff to speed up paperwork processing.”
While Biden insisted, as quoted in ABC News, that he personally made “every decision,” he conceded that he did not individually sign off on each document, saying, “I approved each of the clemency decisions before they were issued.”
The Daily Beast quoted Biden dismissing Republican criticism: “That is utter BS,” he said, responding to allegations that he had no hand in the clemency spree.
Still, Biden’s comments confirmed the worst fears of critics who have questioned his cognitive fitness and decision-making capacity. As Time reported, the final flurry of clemency actions was conducted with Biden out of public view.
Time added context, noting, “Emails show Biden’s chief of staff, Jeff Zients, approved the use of the autopen to execute clemency documents on the president’s behalf.”
In the same article, the legal implications were underscored: “While it is legally permissible, it is extremely rare for a president to use an autopen to sign something as consequential as a clemency order.”