The presidential pardon power, it turns out, is relatively absolute. Pardons, especially the most controversial ones, can be criticized, and even become a huge deal for a long time after they’re issued. However, once a pardon is issued, that’s that.
However, earlier this week, Donald Trump attempted to claim that a series of pardons issued by President Joseph Biden in the closing days of his presidency shouldn’t count because Biden used an “autopen.”
“The ‘Pardons’ that Sleepy Joe Biden gave to the Unselect Committee of Political Thugs, and many others, are hereby declared VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT, because of the fact that they were done by Autopen,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Monday.
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The implication is that if Biden’s pardons don’t count, then Trump’s Administration could somehow move forward with prosecutions against the people Biden pardoned. But in reality, there’s just about no caselaw that would declare any act of a president invalid due to the use of an autopen- and Trump has admitted that he has used an autopen himself.
Meanwhile one of the people who received such a pardon has essentially dared Trump to come after him.
Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), who turned against Trump while he was still in Congress, and was granted a preemptive pardon by Biden due to his work on the January 6 Select Committee, made the comments in a CNN interview Tuesday.
Kinzinger: So my reaction to him is like, you know what? Then bring it. Stop talking about it. Bring the charges then if you really want to do it. Because we will crush you in court. And it’ll make me three times more effective against you. pic.twitter.com/oKFvEv8twk
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 17, 2025
“It’s like, bring it on. Like, honestly,” Kinzinger said in an appearance on CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper. “So, we had an election. I fought against Donald Trump. I wanted Kamala Harris to win. January 6th was a big thing, but America made a different choice. Fine. I’m ready to move on!”
Kinzinger made it clear that he did not ask for a pardon, and that he committed nothing that could be construed as a crime.
“So, my reaction to him is like, you know what? Then bring it! Like, stop talking about it! Stop being all verbose. Stop pretending like you’re tough, bring the charges then if you really want to do it- because we will crush you in court, and it’ll make me three times more effective against you.”
Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library.
