Biden Kaput!
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Trump calls Biden pardons 'void' because of autopen usage
Author of the article:Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Gregory Korte and Jennifer A. Dlouhy
Published Mar 17, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read
US President Donald Trump said his predecessor’s 11th-hour pardons of members of Congress who investigated the January 6 insurrection were “void, vacant and of no further force or effect,” signaling his administration may attempt to upend more than a century of law and practice for presidential pardons.
In a statement on his Truth Social platform just after midnight Monday Washington time, Trump said the pardons were void because Joe Biden signed them with an autopen. His comments follow similar arguments from the conservative Heritage Foundation that Biden used an autopen based on seemingly identical signatures found on several Biden documents. Trump in his Truth Social post did not present any evidence.
Trump Truth Social post
The pardon power has long been considered one of the most absolute powers a president has — and courts have been reluctant to put any limits on how they’re granted. While Trump acknowledged the courts should ultimately decide on the validity of the pardons, his comments open the possibility that the Justice Department may attempt to prosecute some of the president’s biggest political adversaries.
They include former Representative Liz Cheney, retired General Mark Milley and infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci, all pardoned on the last day of Biden’s presidency after Trump had threatened on the campaign trail to prosecute them.
“It’s not my decision — that’ll be up to a court — but I would say that they’re null and void, because I’m sure Biden didn’t have any idea that it was taking place, and somebody was using an autopen to sign off and to give pardons,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday night.
A 2024 federal appeals court decision said a pardon doesn’t even have to be in writing. “The answer is undoubtedly no,” the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled. “The plain language of the Constitution imposes no such limit.”
A 1929 Justice Department opinion held that “neither the Constitution nor statute prescribed the method by which executive clemency shall be exercised or evidenced. It is wholly for the president to decide.”
The George W. Bush administration cited that opinion in defending Bush’s use of the autopen, a robotic instrument that presidents have used for decades to keep up with the volumes of routine correspondence they have to sign.
But its use has been controversial because it casts into question whether the president personally approved the action.
![GmN5EuvWEAAMri_[1].jpg](https://forums.canadiancontent.net/data/attachments/26/26449-00a6232ee636ee65b330ae7ab1641428.jpg "GmN5EuvWEAAMri_[1].jpg")
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Gregory Korte and Jennifer A. Dlouhy
Published Mar 17, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read
US President Donald Trump said his predecessor’s 11th-hour pardons of members of Congress who investigated the January 6 insurrection were “void, vacant and of no further force or effect,” signaling his administration may attempt to upend more than a century of law and practice for presidential pardons.
In a statement on his Truth Social platform just after midnight Monday Washington time, Trump said the pardons were void because Joe Biden signed them with an autopen. His comments follow similar arguments from the conservative Heritage Foundation that Biden used an autopen based on seemingly identical signatures found on several Biden documents. Trump in his Truth Social post did not present any evidence.
Trump Truth Social post
The pardon power has long been considered one of the most absolute powers a president has — and courts have been reluctant to put any limits on how they’re granted. While Trump acknowledged the courts should ultimately decide on the validity of the pardons, his comments open the possibility that the Justice Department may attempt to prosecute some of the president’s biggest political adversaries.
They include former Representative Liz Cheney, retired General Mark Milley and infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci, all pardoned on the last day of Biden’s presidency after Trump had threatened on the campaign trail to prosecute them.
“It’s not my decision — that’ll be up to a court — but I would say that they’re null and void, because I’m sure Biden didn’t have any idea that it was taking place, and somebody was using an autopen to sign off and to give pardons,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday night.
A 2024 federal appeals court decision said a pardon doesn’t even have to be in writing. “The answer is undoubtedly no,” the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled. “The plain language of the Constitution imposes no such limit.”
A 1929 Justice Department opinion held that “neither the Constitution nor statute prescribed the method by which executive clemency shall be exercised or evidenced. It is wholly for the president to decide.”
The George W. Bush administration cited that opinion in defending Bush’s use of the autopen, a robotic instrument that presidents have used for decades to keep up with the volumes of routine correspondence they have to sign.
But its use has been controversial because it casts into question whether the president personally approved the action.
Trump calls Biden pardons 'void' because of autopen usage
'I would say that they’re null and void, because I’m sure Biden didn’t have any idea that it was taking place'
Pre-emptive pardons have stood up, unfortunately, since Ford pardoned Nixon.
Trump says he’s ending Secret Service protection for Biden’s adult children
The former president had extended the protection details to July shortly before leaving office in January
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Zeke Miller And Michelle L. Price
Published Mar 18, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday he was ending “immediately” the Secret Service protection details assigned to Democrat Joe Biden’s adult children, which the former president had extended to July shortly before leaving office in January.
The Republican president on social media objected to what he said were 18 agents assigned to Hunter Biden’s protective detail while in South Africa this week. He said Ashley Biden has 13 agents assigned to her detail and that she too “will be taken off the list.”
There was no immediate reaction from the former president’s office.
Former presidents and their spouses receive life-long Secret Service protection under federal law, but the protection afforded to their immediate families over the age of 16 ends when they leave office. But outgoing presidents can extend protection for those who might otherwise not be eligible for up to six months after they leave office, something Biden did for his children and Trump did for his family after leaving office in 2021. Former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush also extended protection for their families for a period.
“We are aware of the President’s decision to terminate protection for Hunter and Ashley Biden,” the agency said in a statement. “The Secret Service will comply and is actively working with the protective details and the White House to ensure compliance as soon as possible.”
While touring the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Monday afternoon, a reporter asked Trump if he would revoke the protection for the former president’s son.
“Well, we have done that with many. I would say if there are 18 with Hunter Biden, that will be something I’ll look at this afternoon,” Trump said, who added this was the first time he heard about the matter.
“I’m going to take a look at that,” he said.
torontosun.com
The former president had extended the protection details to July shortly before leaving office in January
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Zeke Miller And Michelle L. Price
Published Mar 18, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday he was ending “immediately” the Secret Service protection details assigned to Democrat Joe Biden’s adult children, which the former president had extended to July shortly before leaving office in January.
The Republican president on social media objected to what he said were 18 agents assigned to Hunter Biden’s protective detail while in South Africa this week. He said Ashley Biden has 13 agents assigned to her detail and that she too “will be taken off the list.”
There was no immediate reaction from the former president’s office.
Former presidents and their spouses receive life-long Secret Service protection under federal law, but the protection afforded to their immediate families over the age of 16 ends when they leave office. But outgoing presidents can extend protection for those who might otherwise not be eligible for up to six months after they leave office, something Biden did for his children and Trump did for his family after leaving office in 2021. Former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush also extended protection for their families for a period.
“We are aware of the President’s decision to terminate protection for Hunter and Ashley Biden,” the agency said in a statement. “The Secret Service will comply and is actively working with the protective details and the White House to ensure compliance as soon as possible.”
While touring the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Monday afternoon, a reporter asked Trump if he would revoke the protection for the former president’s son.
“Well, we have done that with many. I would say if there are 18 with Hunter Biden, that will be something I’ll look at this afternoon,” Trump said, who added this was the first time he heard about the matter.
“I’m going to take a look at that,” he said.
Trump says he’s ending Secret Service protection for Biden’s adult children
Outgoing presidents can extend protection for those who might otherwise not be eligible for up to six months after they leave office
Would that be a blanket pardon, or related to one specific charge? Like if a person received a pardon from possible gun charges, and several years later it is discovered he is a pedophile, would the pardon still be in effect?
Blanket for Federal offenses. And no. Sexual abuse of a minor is a state crime, as are most of the run-of-the-mill crimes. Not covered by a Presidential pardon.
Nodule found in former President Joe Biden’s prostate during routine physical exam
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published May 13, 2025 • 1 minute read
WASHINGTON — A small nodule was found in the prostate of former President Joe Biden during a routine physical exam, a spokesperson said Tuesday.
A short statement said the finding “necessitated further evaluation,” but it was not clear whether that had already taken place or the outcome of the examination.
The detection of nodules in the prostate generally requires a further exam by a urologist to rule out prostate cancer.
Biden’s age and concerns about his health were cited by Democratic leaders who pressed him to abandon his reelection bid in 2024 following a disastrous debate performance last June.
But as recently as last week, Biden rejected concerns about his age, saying the broader party didn’t buy into that, and instead blaming the Democratic leadership and “significant contributors.”
President Donald Trump repeatedly raised questions about Biden’s physical and mental capacity during the campaign.
In February 2023, Biden had a skin lesion removed from his chest that was a basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer. And in November 2021, he had a polyp removed from his colon that was a benign, but potentially pre-cancerous lesion.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published May 13, 2025 • 1 minute read
WASHINGTON — A small nodule was found in the prostate of former President Joe Biden during a routine physical exam, a spokesperson said Tuesday.
A short statement said the finding “necessitated further evaluation,” but it was not clear whether that had already taken place or the outcome of the examination.
The detection of nodules in the prostate generally requires a further exam by a urologist to rule out prostate cancer.
Biden’s age and concerns about his health were cited by Democratic leaders who pressed him to abandon his reelection bid in 2024 following a disastrous debate performance last June.
But as recently as last week, Biden rejected concerns about his age, saying the broader party didn’t buy into that, and instead blaming the Democratic leadership and “significant contributors.”
President Donald Trump repeatedly raised questions about Biden’s physical and mental capacity during the campaign.
In February 2023, Biden had a skin lesion removed from his chest that was a basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer. And in November 2021, he had a polyp removed from his colon that was a benign, but potentially pre-cancerous lesion.
Nodule found in former President Joe Biden’s prostate during routine physical exam
A small nodule was found in the prostate of former President Joe Biden during a routine physical exam, a spokesperson said
Book pulls back curtain on president's decline
Author of the article:Brad Hunter
Published May 14, 2025 • Last updated 3 hours ago • 4 minute read
For 18 months, White House insiders tried to keep from the public what they saw with their own eyes.
U.S. President Joe Biden was in rapid cognitive decline.
The octogenarian commander-in-chief was increasingly exhausted, confused, and out of it.
Now, a new book, Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, details the meltdown.
The authors write: “The original sin of Election 2024 was Biden’s decision to run for re-election, followed by aggressive efforts to hide his cognitive diminishment.”
Ironically, one of the main culprits was the media and one of the authors — CNN’s Tapper. He took Lara Trump to task for even suggesting Biden was in decline.
For the American public and the wider world, what had been whispers and innuendo became a scream from the rooftop on the night of June 27, 2024.
That night, Democratic voters watched in horror the first presidential debate between Biden and the ultimate winner of the 2024 contest, Republican Donald Trump.
The authors write that as Trump told whopper after whopper, Biden sat by pale and slack-jawed. The incumbent struggled to put together intelligent rebuttals.
Here are some of the highlights of Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again.
THAT DEBATE
Within minutes, White House chief of staff Ron Klain knew the debate was a “disaster.” Near the start, Biden dropped the ball on a question about the national debt, saying, “We finally beat Medicare.” Then Biden lost his train of thought on the immigration crisis.
Trump chimed in: “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either.”
“Senior Democrats who had done work for Biden in 2024 later told us that they had watched the debate and wondered: ‘Just who the hell is running the country?’” — Original Sin
First Lady Jill Biden
JILL THE PILL
Biden’s wife, Jill Biden (Doctor to you!), made matters worse, telling the absent-minded president he “did such a great job.”
GEORGE WHO?
Probably the worst thing you can do to a Hollywood celebrity is not recognize them. That happened to Ocean’s 11 star and Biden supporter George Clooney.
At a fundraiser in Los Angeles, Biden failed to recognize Clooney. “Clooney was shaken to his core. The president hadn’t recognized him. A man he had known for years,” one of the book’s sources said.
Clooney Biden
QUOTE
“Clooney had expressed concern about Biden’s health before — a White House aide had told him a few months before that they were working on getting the president to take longer steps when he walked — but obviously the problem went far beyond his gait.” — Original Sin
THE COUP
Less than a month later, Clooney took to the op-ed pages of The New York Times calling for Biden to drop out of the race, claiming he “cannot win.” The piece was written from the comfort of Clooney’s home in the south of France.
BIDEN ‘F***ED’ HARRIS PREZ BID
Vice President Kamala Harris insiders claim in the book that Biden “totally f***ed” his second banana by not dropping out of the race sooner. Adviser David Plouffe was quoted in the book as calling the truncated 107-day campaign a “f***ing nightmare.” Plouffe told the authors, “And it’s all Biden. He totally f***ed us.”
WAIT JUST A SECOND, LEFTY!
“(Advisers Stephanie) Cutter and Plouffe were doing messaging and ads and they misjudged what people cared about because cable news and Twitter are not real life. Biden should have never run (in 2024) AND the party is too far left.” — Democratic Party insider
WHEELIE TOUGH CALL
Biden’s aides became so concerned about his physical deterioration that they discussed having him use a wheelchair if he recaptured the White House in 2024.
President Joe Biden is helped up after falling
President Joe Biden is helped up after falling during the graduation ceremony at the United States Air Force Academy in El Paso County, Colorado, on June 1, 2023.
EXCERPT: “Biden’s physical deterioration — most apparent in his halting walk — had become so severe that there were internal discussions about putting the president in a wheelchair, but they couldn’t do so until after the election.”
According to the authors, hardcore Democratic loyalists were so frightened by a second Trump term, they covered up Biden’s decline as the lesser of two evils. “They maintained a near-religious faith in Biden’s ability to rise again. And as with any theology, skepticism was forbidden.” — Original Sin.
STAGE MANAGED
Insiders were desperate to disguise Biden’s decline. They restricted his work hours, kept his speeches short (too much time on his feet), and videos were filmed in slow motion to cover up how he walked. It was deny, deny, deny. Among them? Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who laughed off the rumours. She told CNN: “Oh my gosh. He’s the president of the United States. I can’t even keep up with him.”
MEDIA COVER-UP
Because most of the mainstream American media are Democratic-leaning liberals, Biden’s decline didn’t get the headlines it should have. Co-author Thompson said the benign cover-up further eroded the public’s trust in the media.
“Some people trust us less because of it. We bear some responsibility for faith in the media being at such lows. I say this because acknowledging errors builds trust and being defensive about them further erodes it.” — Original Sin co-author Alex Thompson
bhunter@postmedia.com
@HunterTOSun
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Brad Hunter
Published May 14, 2025 • Last updated 3 hours ago • 4 minute read
For 18 months, White House insiders tried to keep from the public what they saw with their own eyes.
U.S. President Joe Biden was in rapid cognitive decline.
The octogenarian commander-in-chief was increasingly exhausted, confused, and out of it.
Now, a new book, Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, details the meltdown.
The authors write: “The original sin of Election 2024 was Biden’s decision to run for re-election, followed by aggressive efforts to hide his cognitive diminishment.”
Ironically, one of the main culprits was the media and one of the authors — CNN’s Tapper. He took Lara Trump to task for even suggesting Biden was in decline.
For the American public and the wider world, what had been whispers and innuendo became a scream from the rooftop on the night of June 27, 2024.
That night, Democratic voters watched in horror the first presidential debate between Biden and the ultimate winner of the 2024 contest, Republican Donald Trump.
The authors write that as Trump told whopper after whopper, Biden sat by pale and slack-jawed. The incumbent struggled to put together intelligent rebuttals.
Here are some of the highlights of Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again.
THAT DEBATE
Within minutes, White House chief of staff Ron Klain knew the debate was a “disaster.” Near the start, Biden dropped the ball on a question about the national debt, saying, “We finally beat Medicare.” Then Biden lost his train of thought on the immigration crisis.
Trump chimed in: “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either.”
“Senior Democrats who had done work for Biden in 2024 later told us that they had watched the debate and wondered: ‘Just who the hell is running the country?’” — Original Sin
First Lady Jill Biden
JILL THE PILL
Biden’s wife, Jill Biden (Doctor to you!), made matters worse, telling the absent-minded president he “did such a great job.”
GEORGE WHO?
Probably the worst thing you can do to a Hollywood celebrity is not recognize them. That happened to Ocean’s 11 star and Biden supporter George Clooney.
At a fundraiser in Los Angeles, Biden failed to recognize Clooney. “Clooney was shaken to his core. The president hadn’t recognized him. A man he had known for years,” one of the book’s sources said.
Clooney Biden
QUOTE
“Clooney had expressed concern about Biden’s health before — a White House aide had told him a few months before that they were working on getting the president to take longer steps when he walked — but obviously the problem went far beyond his gait.” — Original Sin
THE COUP
Less than a month later, Clooney took to the op-ed pages of The New York Times calling for Biden to drop out of the race, claiming he “cannot win.” The piece was written from the comfort of Clooney’s home in the south of France.
BIDEN ‘F***ED’ HARRIS PREZ BID
Vice President Kamala Harris insiders claim in the book that Biden “totally f***ed” his second banana by not dropping out of the race sooner. Adviser David Plouffe was quoted in the book as calling the truncated 107-day campaign a “f***ing nightmare.” Plouffe told the authors, “And it’s all Biden. He totally f***ed us.”
WAIT JUST A SECOND, LEFTY!
“(Advisers Stephanie) Cutter and Plouffe were doing messaging and ads and they misjudged what people cared about because cable news and Twitter are not real life. Biden should have never run (in 2024) AND the party is too far left.” — Democratic Party insider
WHEELIE TOUGH CALL
Biden’s aides became so concerned about his physical deterioration that they discussed having him use a wheelchair if he recaptured the White House in 2024.
President Joe Biden is helped up after falling
President Joe Biden is helped up after falling during the graduation ceremony at the United States Air Force Academy in El Paso County, Colorado, on June 1, 2023.
EXCERPT: “Biden’s physical deterioration — most apparent in his halting walk — had become so severe that there were internal discussions about putting the president in a wheelchair, but they couldn’t do so until after the election.”
According to the authors, hardcore Democratic loyalists were so frightened by a second Trump term, they covered up Biden’s decline as the lesser of two evils. “They maintained a near-religious faith in Biden’s ability to rise again. And as with any theology, skepticism was forbidden.” — Original Sin.
STAGE MANAGED
Insiders were desperate to disguise Biden’s decline. They restricted his work hours, kept his speeches short (too much time on his feet), and videos were filmed in slow motion to cover up how he walked. It was deny, deny, deny. Among them? Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who laughed off the rumours. She told CNN: “Oh my gosh. He’s the president of the United States. I can’t even keep up with him.”
MEDIA COVER-UP
Because most of the mainstream American media are Democratic-leaning liberals, Biden’s decline didn’t get the headlines it should have. Co-author Thompson said the benign cover-up further eroded the public’s trust in the media.
“Some people trust us less because of it. We bear some responsibility for faith in the media being at such lows. I say this because acknowledging errors builds trust and being defensive about them further erodes it.” — Original Sin co-author Alex Thompson
bhunter@postmedia.com
@HunterTOSun
JOE BIDEN'S BLUES: Book pulls back curtain on president's decline
White House insiders tried to keep from the public what they saw with their own eyes. Joe Biden was in rapid cognitive decline.
Trump orders investigation into Biden’s actions as president
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Chris Megerian and Matt Brown
Published Jun 04, 2025 • Last updated 2 days ago • 4 minute read
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday directed his administration to investigate Joe Biden’s actions as president, alleging aides masked his predecessor’s “cognitive decline” and raising questions about his use of the autopen to sign pardons and other documents.
The order marked a significant escalation in Trump’s targeting of political adversaries, and it could lay the groundwork for claiming that a range of Biden’s actions were invalid despite the president’s pardon power being enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.
“This conspiracy marks one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history,” Trump wrote in a memo. “The American public was purposefully shielded from discovering who wielded the executive power, all while Biden’s signature was deployed across thousands of documents to effect radical policy shifts.”
Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House counsel David Warrington to handle the investigation. Representatives for Biden did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It’s unclear how far Trump will push this effort, which would face certain legal challenges. But it reflects his fixation on Biden, who defeated him in 2020, an election that Trump never conceded and continues to falsely claim was rigged against him.
Trump frequently suggests that Biden was wrong to use an autopen, a mechanical device that replicates a person’s authentic signature. Although they’ve been used in the White House for decades, Trump claims that Biden’s aides were usurping presidential authority.
Biden issued pardons for his two brothers and his sister shortly before leaving office, hoping to shield them from potential prosecution under Trump, who had promised retribution during last year’s campaign. Other pardon recipients included members of a congressional committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Trump often suggests that his political opponents should be investigated, and he has directed the Justice Department to look into people who have angered him over the years. They include Chris Krebs, a former cybersecurity official who disputed Trump’s claims of a stolen election in 2020, and Miles Taylor, a former Department of Homeland Security official who wrote an anonymous op-ed sharply critical of the president in 2018.
Meanwhile, House Oversight Chairman James Comer of Kentucky, a Republican, requested transcribed interviews with five Biden aides, alleging they had participated in a “cover-up” that amounted to “one of the greatest scandals in our nation’s history.”
“These five former senior advisors were eyewitnesses to President Biden’s condition and operations within the Biden White House,” Comer said in a statement. “They must appear before the House Oversight Committee and provide truthful answers about President Biden’s cognitive state and who was calling the shots.”
Interviews were requested with White House senior advisers Mike Donilon and Anita Dunn, former White House chief of staff Ron Klain, former deputy chief of staff Bruce Reed and Steve Ricchetti, a former counselor to the president.
Comer reiterated his call for Biden’s physician, Kevin O’Connor, and former senior White House aides Annie Tomasini, Anthony Bernal, Ashley Williams and Neera Tanden to appear before the committee. He warned subpoenas would be issued this week if they refuse to schedule voluntary interviews.
“I think that people will start coming in the next two weeks,” Comer told reporters. He added that the committee would release a report with its findings, “and we’ll release the transcribed interviews, so it’ll be very transparent.”
Democrats have dismissed the effort as a distraction.
“Chairman Comer had his big shot in the last Congress to impeach Joe Biden and it was, of course, a spectacular flop,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, the Maryland Democrat who served as the ranking member on the oversight committee in the previous Congress. “And now he’s just living off of a spent dream. It’s over. And he should give up the whole thing.”
Republicans on the committee are eager to pursue the investigation.
“The American people didn’t elect a bureaucracy to run the country,“ said Rep. Brandon Gill, a freshman Republican from Texas. “I think that the American people deserve to know the truth and they want to know the truth of what happened.”
The Republican inquiry so far has focused on the final executive actions of Biden’s administration, which included the issuing of new federal rules and presidential pardons that they claim may be invalid.
Comer cited the book “Original Sin” by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson, which details concerns and debates inside the White House and Democratic Party over Biden’s mental state and age.
In the book, Tapper and Thompson wrote, “Five people were running the country, and Joe Biden was at best a senior member of the board.”
Biden and members of his family have vigorously denied the book’s claims.
“This book is political fairy smut for the permanent, professional chattering class,” said Naomi Biden, the former president’s granddaughter.
Biden withdrew from the presidential race last summer after a debate against Trump in which he appeared to lose his train of thought multiple times, muttered inaudible answers and misnamed different government programs.
The disastrous debate performance pushed questions about his age and mental acuity to the forefront, ultimately leading Biden to withdraw from the presidential race. He was replaced on the ticket by Kamala Harris, who lost the election to Trump.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Chris Megerian and Matt Brown
Published Jun 04, 2025 • Last updated 2 days ago • 4 minute read
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday directed his administration to investigate Joe Biden’s actions as president, alleging aides masked his predecessor’s “cognitive decline” and raising questions about his use of the autopen to sign pardons and other documents.
The order marked a significant escalation in Trump’s targeting of political adversaries, and it could lay the groundwork for claiming that a range of Biden’s actions were invalid despite the president’s pardon power being enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.
“This conspiracy marks one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history,” Trump wrote in a memo. “The American public was purposefully shielded from discovering who wielded the executive power, all while Biden’s signature was deployed across thousands of documents to effect radical policy shifts.”
Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House counsel David Warrington to handle the investigation. Representatives for Biden did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It’s unclear how far Trump will push this effort, which would face certain legal challenges. But it reflects his fixation on Biden, who defeated him in 2020, an election that Trump never conceded and continues to falsely claim was rigged against him.
Trump frequently suggests that Biden was wrong to use an autopen, a mechanical device that replicates a person’s authentic signature. Although they’ve been used in the White House for decades, Trump claims that Biden’s aides were usurping presidential authority.
Biden issued pardons for his two brothers and his sister shortly before leaving office, hoping to shield them from potential prosecution under Trump, who had promised retribution during last year’s campaign. Other pardon recipients included members of a congressional committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Trump often suggests that his political opponents should be investigated, and he has directed the Justice Department to look into people who have angered him over the years. They include Chris Krebs, a former cybersecurity official who disputed Trump’s claims of a stolen election in 2020, and Miles Taylor, a former Department of Homeland Security official who wrote an anonymous op-ed sharply critical of the president in 2018.
Meanwhile, House Oversight Chairman James Comer of Kentucky, a Republican, requested transcribed interviews with five Biden aides, alleging they had participated in a “cover-up” that amounted to “one of the greatest scandals in our nation’s history.”
“These five former senior advisors were eyewitnesses to President Biden’s condition and operations within the Biden White House,” Comer said in a statement. “They must appear before the House Oversight Committee and provide truthful answers about President Biden’s cognitive state and who was calling the shots.”
Interviews were requested with White House senior advisers Mike Donilon and Anita Dunn, former White House chief of staff Ron Klain, former deputy chief of staff Bruce Reed and Steve Ricchetti, a former counselor to the president.
Comer reiterated his call for Biden’s physician, Kevin O’Connor, and former senior White House aides Annie Tomasini, Anthony Bernal, Ashley Williams and Neera Tanden to appear before the committee. He warned subpoenas would be issued this week if they refuse to schedule voluntary interviews.
“I think that people will start coming in the next two weeks,” Comer told reporters. He added that the committee would release a report with its findings, “and we’ll release the transcribed interviews, so it’ll be very transparent.”
Democrats have dismissed the effort as a distraction.
“Chairman Comer had his big shot in the last Congress to impeach Joe Biden and it was, of course, a spectacular flop,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, the Maryland Democrat who served as the ranking member on the oversight committee in the previous Congress. “And now he’s just living off of a spent dream. It’s over. And he should give up the whole thing.”
Republicans on the committee are eager to pursue the investigation.
“The American people didn’t elect a bureaucracy to run the country,“ said Rep. Brandon Gill, a freshman Republican from Texas. “I think that the American people deserve to know the truth and they want to know the truth of what happened.”
The Republican inquiry so far has focused on the final executive actions of Biden’s administration, which included the issuing of new federal rules and presidential pardons that they claim may be invalid.
Comer cited the book “Original Sin” by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson, which details concerns and debates inside the White House and Democratic Party over Biden’s mental state and age.
In the book, Tapper and Thompson wrote, “Five people were running the country, and Joe Biden was at best a senior member of the board.”
Biden and members of his family have vigorously denied the book’s claims.
“This book is political fairy smut for the permanent, professional chattering class,” said Naomi Biden, the former president’s granddaughter.
Biden withdrew from the presidential race last summer after a debate against Trump in which he appeared to lose his train of thought multiple times, muttered inaudible answers and misnamed different government programs.
The disastrous debate performance pushed questions about his age and mental acuity to the forefront, ultimately leading Biden to withdraw from the presidential race. He was replaced on the ticket by Kamala Harris, who lost the election to Trump.
Trump orders investigation into Biden’s actions as president
President Donald Trump on Wednesday directed his administration to investigate Joe Biden’s actions as president.
Trump alleges that, under Biden, ’whoever used autopen was president’
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Chris Megerian And Will Weissert
Published Jun 05, 2025 • 4 minute read
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump intensified his assertions — without evidence — that officials using an autopen undermined the actions of his predecessor, Joe Biden, even suggesting Thursday that “essentially whoever used the autopen was president.”
“I happen to think I know” who was using a tool that allows for auto signatures, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, while saying it was the “biggest scandal” in years.
The Justice Department under Democratic and Republican administrations has recognized the use of an autopen to sign legislation and issue pardons for decades. Trump presented no evidence that Biden was unaware of the actions taken in his name, and the president’s absolute pardon power is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.
“It’s a very bad thing, very dangerous,” Trump said, arguing that, “Essentially, whoever used the autopen was the president.”
Those comments came a day after Trump directed his administration to investigate Biden’s actions as president, alleging aides masked his predecessor’s “cognitive decline” and casting doubts on the legitimacy of his use of the autopen to sign pardons and other documents. An executive order he signed marked a significant escalation in Trump’s targeting of political adversaries and could lay the groundwork for arguments by the Republican that a range of Biden’s actions as president were invalid.
Biden responded in a statement Wednesday night: “Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false.”
Trump wrote in a memo Wednesday that, “This conspiracy marks one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history.”
The American public, he said, “was purposefully shielded from discovering who wielded the executive power, all while Biden’s signature was deployed across thousands of documents to effect radical policy shifts.”
Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House counsel David Warrington to handle the investigation.
Even as Trump doubled down on his accusations, it is unclear how far Trump will push this effort, which would face certain legal challenges. It nonetheless reflects his fixation on Biden, who defeated him in 2020, an election that Trump never conceded and continues to falsely claim was rigged against him. In lobbing allegations against Biden on Thursday, Trump continued to insist that the 2020 election was stolen from him.
Trump frequently suggests that Biden was wrong to use an autopen, a mechanical device that replicates a person’s authentic signature. Although they’ve been used in the White House for decades, Trump claims that Biden’s aides were usurping presidential authority.
Biden issued pardons for his two brothers and his sister shortly before leaving office, hoping to shield them from potential prosecution under Trump, who had promised retribution during last year’s campaign.
Other Biden pardon recipients included members of a congressional committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Trump often suggests that his political opponents should be investigated, and he has directed the Justice Department to look into people who have angered him over the years. They include Chris Krebs, a former cybersecurity official who disputed Trump’s claims of a stolen election in 2020, and Miles Taylor, a former Department of Homeland Security official who wrote an anonymous op-ed sharply critical of the president in 2018.
Meanwhile, House Oversight Chairman James Comer of Kentucky, a Republican, requested transcribed interviews with five Biden aides, alleging they had participated in a “cover-up” that amounted to “one of the greatest scandals in our nation’s history.”
“These five former senior advisors were eyewitnesses to President Biden’s condition and operations within the Biden White House,” Comer said in a statement. “They must appear before the House Oversight Committee and provide truthful answers about President Biden’s cognitive state and who was calling the shots.”
Interviews were requested with White House senior advisers Mike Donilon and Anita Dunn, former White House chief of staff Ron Klain, former deputy chief of staff Bruce Reed and Steve Ricchetti, a former counselor to the president.
Comer reiterated his call for Biden’s physician, Kevin O’Connor, and former senior White House aides Annie Tomasini, Anthony Bernal, Ashley Williams and Neera Tanden to appear before the committee. He warned subpoenas would be issued this week if they refuse to schedule voluntary interviews.
“I think that people will start coming in the next two weeks,” Comer told reporters. He added that the committee would release a report with its findings, “and we’ll release the transcribed interviews, so it’ll be very transparent.”
Rep. Brandon Gill, a freshman Republican from Texas, said “the American people didn’t elect a bureaucracy to run the country,” said “I think that the American people deserve to know the truth and they want to know the truth of what happened.”
Democrats have dismissed the accusations as a distraction.
“Chairman Comer had his big shot in the last Congress to impeach Joe Biden and it was, of course, a spectacular flop,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, the Maryland Democrat who served as the ranking member on the oversight committee in the previous Congress. “And now he’s just living off of a spent dream. It’s over. And he should give up the whole thing.”
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Chris Megerian And Will Weissert
Published Jun 05, 2025 • 4 minute read
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump intensified his assertions — without evidence — that officials using an autopen undermined the actions of his predecessor, Joe Biden, even suggesting Thursday that “essentially whoever used the autopen was president.”
“I happen to think I know” who was using a tool that allows for auto signatures, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, while saying it was the “biggest scandal” in years.
The Justice Department under Democratic and Republican administrations has recognized the use of an autopen to sign legislation and issue pardons for decades. Trump presented no evidence that Biden was unaware of the actions taken in his name, and the president’s absolute pardon power is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.
“It’s a very bad thing, very dangerous,” Trump said, arguing that, “Essentially, whoever used the autopen was the president.”
Those comments came a day after Trump directed his administration to investigate Biden’s actions as president, alleging aides masked his predecessor’s “cognitive decline” and casting doubts on the legitimacy of his use of the autopen to sign pardons and other documents. An executive order he signed marked a significant escalation in Trump’s targeting of political adversaries and could lay the groundwork for arguments by the Republican that a range of Biden’s actions as president were invalid.
Biden responded in a statement Wednesday night: “Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false.”
Trump wrote in a memo Wednesday that, “This conspiracy marks one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history.”
The American public, he said, “was purposefully shielded from discovering who wielded the executive power, all while Biden’s signature was deployed across thousands of documents to effect radical policy shifts.”
Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House counsel David Warrington to handle the investigation.
Even as Trump doubled down on his accusations, it is unclear how far Trump will push this effort, which would face certain legal challenges. It nonetheless reflects his fixation on Biden, who defeated him in 2020, an election that Trump never conceded and continues to falsely claim was rigged against him. In lobbing allegations against Biden on Thursday, Trump continued to insist that the 2020 election was stolen from him.
Trump frequently suggests that Biden was wrong to use an autopen, a mechanical device that replicates a person’s authentic signature. Although they’ve been used in the White House for decades, Trump claims that Biden’s aides were usurping presidential authority.
Biden issued pardons for his two brothers and his sister shortly before leaving office, hoping to shield them from potential prosecution under Trump, who had promised retribution during last year’s campaign.
Other Biden pardon recipients included members of a congressional committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Trump often suggests that his political opponents should be investigated, and he has directed the Justice Department to look into people who have angered him over the years. They include Chris Krebs, a former cybersecurity official who disputed Trump’s claims of a stolen election in 2020, and Miles Taylor, a former Department of Homeland Security official who wrote an anonymous op-ed sharply critical of the president in 2018.
Meanwhile, House Oversight Chairman James Comer of Kentucky, a Republican, requested transcribed interviews with five Biden aides, alleging they had participated in a “cover-up” that amounted to “one of the greatest scandals in our nation’s history.”
“These five former senior advisors were eyewitnesses to President Biden’s condition and operations within the Biden White House,” Comer said in a statement. “They must appear before the House Oversight Committee and provide truthful answers about President Biden’s cognitive state and who was calling the shots.”
Interviews were requested with White House senior advisers Mike Donilon and Anita Dunn, former White House chief of staff Ron Klain, former deputy chief of staff Bruce Reed and Steve Ricchetti, a former counselor to the president.
Comer reiterated his call for Biden’s physician, Kevin O’Connor, and former senior White House aides Annie Tomasini, Anthony Bernal, Ashley Williams and Neera Tanden to appear before the committee. He warned subpoenas would be issued this week if they refuse to schedule voluntary interviews.
“I think that people will start coming in the next two weeks,” Comer told reporters. He added that the committee would release a report with its findings, “and we’ll release the transcribed interviews, so it’ll be very transparent.”
Rep. Brandon Gill, a freshman Republican from Texas, said “the American people didn’t elect a bureaucracy to run the country,” said “I think that the American people deserve to know the truth and they want to know the truth of what happened.”
Democrats have dismissed the accusations as a distraction.
“Chairman Comer had his big shot in the last Congress to impeach Joe Biden and it was, of course, a spectacular flop,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, the Maryland Democrat who served as the ranking member on the oversight committee in the previous Congress. “And now he’s just living off of a spent dream. It’s over. And he should give up the whole thing.”
Trump alleges that, under Biden, ’whoever used autopen was president’
Donald Trump intensified his assertions -- without evidence -- that officials using an autopen undermined the actions of his predecessor
I never forgot this....
Biden insisted he didn’t sign executive order just weeks after doing so, Speaker Johnson reveals
House Speaker Mike Johnson revealed President Biden insisted to him he hadn’t issued an executive order freezing liquid natural gas export permits — despite doing so less than a month p…
nypost.com
wonder if there were shenanigans going on ever since the autopen was first inventedI never forgot this....
Biden insisted he didn’t sign executive order just weeks after doing so, Speaker Johnson reveals
House Speaker Mike Johnson revealed President Biden insisted to him he hadn’t issued an executive order freezing liquid natural gas export permits — despite doing so less than a month p…
It's not hard to find out. Noah keeps more than just bees in the archives.wonder if there were shenanigans going on ever since the autopen was first invented
Prosecutors say Republican South Carolina lawmaker used ’joebidennnn69’ to send child sex material
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Jeffrey Collins
Published Jun 12, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A Republican member of the South Carolina House who prosecutors say used the screen name “joebidennnn69” has been arrested and charged with 10 counts of distributing sexual abuse material involving children.
RJ May was arrested at his Lexington County home after a lengthy investigation and was ordered Thursday by a federal judge to remain jailed until his trial.
The three-term Republican is accused of using “joebidennnn69” to exchange 220 different files of toddlers and young children involved in sex acts on the Kik social media network for about five days in spring 2024, according to court documents that graphically detailed the videos.
Each charge carries a five-to-20 year prison sentence upon conviction and prosecutors suggested May could spend over a decade in prison if found guilty.
The files were uploaded and downloaded using May’s home Wi-Fi network and his cellphone, prosecutors said. Some were hidden by the use of a private network but others were directly linked to his internet addresses.
May says someone else could have used his Wi-Fi
At his arraignment, May’s lawyer suggested someone could have used the Wi-Fi password that was shown on a board behind a photo May’s wife may have posted online. Attorney Dayne Phillips also suggested investigators didn’t link each Kik message directly to May.
Prosecutors asked that May not be given bail because he lives at home with his wife and young children, and some of the files he is accused of sharing feature children of about the same age as his.
May investigated for paid sex in Colombia
Prosecutors said they also investigated whether May used a fake name to travel to Colombia three times after finding videos on his laptop of him allegedly having sex with three women. An agent from the Department of Homeland Security testified the women appeared to be underage and were paid. U.S. agents have not been able to locate the women.
Prosecutors said May created a Facebook account with his fake name and his internet history showed him switching between his real account and the fake one and even searching his primary opponent from the fake login.
Phillips, May’s lawyer, told the courtroom that no sexual images of toddlers or young children were found directly on his laptop or cellphone.
After spending the night at the Lexington County jail. May appeared in court Thursday in shorts and a T-shirt with his wrists and ankles in cuffs. After being ordered to stay in jail, he appeared to blow a kiss at his wife, who was at the hearing.
May’s political rise to the state House
After May’s election in 2020, he helped create the Freedom Caucus, a group of the House’s most conservative members who say mainstream House Republicans aren’t the true conservative heart of the GOP. He also helped the campaigns of Republicans running against GOP House incumbents.
“We as legislators have an obligation to insure that our children have no harm done to them,” May said in January 2024 on the House floor during a debate on transgender care for minors.
His son charmed the House in April 2021 when May brought him to visit for his third birthday and the boy practiced his parade wave around the chamber.
The Freedom Caucus released a statement Wednesday night saying they kicked May out of their group after his arrest.
May spent a quiet 2025 House session
Many of his onetime friends have distanced themselves from May as rumours of the investigation spread through the Statehouse. During the current session he could largely be seen at his corner desk in the back of the 124-seat chamber, mixing with very few colleagues.
The House Speaker suspended May from his seat after the indictment.
May’s lawyer suggested he could have been framed and asked the Homeland Security agent if she knew that May had a lot of political enemies.
“There are a fair amount of people who don’t like me either, Mr. Phillips,” agent Britton Lorenzen replied.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Jeffrey Collins
Published Jun 12, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A Republican member of the South Carolina House who prosecutors say used the screen name “joebidennnn69” has been arrested and charged with 10 counts of distributing sexual abuse material involving children.
RJ May was arrested at his Lexington County home after a lengthy investigation and was ordered Thursday by a federal judge to remain jailed until his trial.
The three-term Republican is accused of using “joebidennnn69” to exchange 220 different files of toddlers and young children involved in sex acts on the Kik social media network for about five days in spring 2024, according to court documents that graphically detailed the videos.
Each charge carries a five-to-20 year prison sentence upon conviction and prosecutors suggested May could spend over a decade in prison if found guilty.
The files were uploaded and downloaded using May’s home Wi-Fi network and his cellphone, prosecutors said. Some were hidden by the use of a private network but others were directly linked to his internet addresses.
May says someone else could have used his Wi-Fi
At his arraignment, May’s lawyer suggested someone could have used the Wi-Fi password that was shown on a board behind a photo May’s wife may have posted online. Attorney Dayne Phillips also suggested investigators didn’t link each Kik message directly to May.
Prosecutors asked that May not be given bail because he lives at home with his wife and young children, and some of the files he is accused of sharing feature children of about the same age as his.
May investigated for paid sex in Colombia
Prosecutors said they also investigated whether May used a fake name to travel to Colombia three times after finding videos on his laptop of him allegedly having sex with three women. An agent from the Department of Homeland Security testified the women appeared to be underage and were paid. U.S. agents have not been able to locate the women.
Prosecutors said May created a Facebook account with his fake name and his internet history showed him switching between his real account and the fake one and even searching his primary opponent from the fake login.
Phillips, May’s lawyer, told the courtroom that no sexual images of toddlers or young children were found directly on his laptop or cellphone.
After spending the night at the Lexington County jail. May appeared in court Thursday in shorts and a T-shirt with his wrists and ankles in cuffs. After being ordered to stay in jail, he appeared to blow a kiss at his wife, who was at the hearing.
May’s political rise to the state House
After May’s election in 2020, he helped create the Freedom Caucus, a group of the House’s most conservative members who say mainstream House Republicans aren’t the true conservative heart of the GOP. He also helped the campaigns of Republicans running against GOP House incumbents.
“We as legislators have an obligation to insure that our children have no harm done to them,” May said in January 2024 on the House floor during a debate on transgender care for minors.
His son charmed the House in April 2021 when May brought him to visit for his third birthday and the boy practiced his parade wave around the chamber.
The Freedom Caucus released a statement Wednesday night saying they kicked May out of their group after his arrest.
May spent a quiet 2025 House session
Many of his onetime friends have distanced themselves from May as rumours of the investigation spread through the Statehouse. During the current session he could largely be seen at his corner desk in the back of the 124-seat chamber, mixing with very few colleagues.
The House Speaker suspended May from his seat after the indictment.
May’s lawyer suggested he could have been framed and asked the Homeland Security agent if she knew that May had a lot of political enemies.
“There are a fair amount of people who don’t like me either, Mr. Phillips,” agent Britton Lorenzen replied.
Prosecutors say Republican South Carolina lawmaker used ’joebidennnn69’ to send child sex material
RJ May was arrested at his Lexington County home and was ordered Thursday by a federal judge to remain jailed until his trial.