President Donald Trump has made headlines once again with his bold claim that pardons issued by former President Joe Biden are "VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT" due to their alleged signing by an autopen, a device that replicates signatures.

In a post shared on his social media platform, HuffPost reports that Trump specifically referred to pardons granted to members of the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riots. He claimed these pardons lacked legitimacy because they were not personally signed by Biden, suggesting that Biden was unaware of their issuance. "The necessary Pardoning Documents were not explained to, or approved by, Biden. He knew nothing about them!" Trump stated.

Legal experts have refuted Trump's assertions, explaining that the Constitution does not prescribe a requirement for a presidential signature on pardons, nor does it prohibit the use of an autopen. Several legal authorities have emphasized that presidential pardons do not need to be formally written or signed in a specific manner for them to be valid. For instance, a Newsweek article highlights an opinion from the Department of Justice stating that a president's signature can be affixed using an autopen.

President Trump, however, insists on the illegitimacy of Biden's pardons. As reported by The Hill, Trump claims that the members of the January 6 committee, referred to as the "Unselect Committee of Political Thugs," should understand they are still subject to investigations.

Critics are quick to point out the hypocrisy of Trump's claims. Not only did he use an autopen during his presidency, but other presidents have done so as well, including Barack Obama and George W. Bush, creating a historical precedent for the use of the device in various official capacities. ABC News notes that the legal landscape surrounding presidential pardons grants nearly unlimited discretion to the sitting president.

This controversy over the autopen has become another focal point of debate, with Trump continually framing the discussion to highlight perceived failings within the Biden administration and to stoke claims about Biden's cognitive awareness. Experts assert that Trump's efforts to reclaim the narrative could serve as a strategy to rally his base and distract from ongoing legal challenges he faces.

The broader implications of Trump's claims extend into the political arena, where his declarations risk reopening discussions about the legitimacy of the pardons and the integrity of the presidential office. As the political landscape shifts, the public and legal ramifications of these statements will continue to evolve.

In the words of many legal experts, the notion that a president can cancel a predecessor's pardons is and has been profoundly unconstitutional.