Karoline Leavitt backpedals on Trump’s claim Biden pardons are ‘void’, says he was ‘begging the question’

WASHINGTON, DC: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt backpedaled when asked about President Donald Trump’s declaration that several pardons handed out by former president Joe Biden, are "void".

On Sunday, March 16, Trump took to his Truth Social account to post that the "Pardons" Biden gave were declared "void, vacant, and of no further force or effect" as autopen was used to sign them, per Mediaite.

Karoline Leavitt backtracks on Donald Trump's declaration Joe Biden pardons are 'void'

During the press briefing on Monday, March 17, CNN's Kaitlan Collins asked Karoline Leavitt about the POTUS' claim and the White House press secretary said Trump was simply "begging the question".

Collins asked, "I have two questions for you — one on the flights — but first on the president’s post overnight saying that he is, that the pardons that were issued by President Biden preemptively to members of the January 6th Committee, that they’re now null and void."

She continued, "Have attorneys here at the White House told President Trump that he has the legal authority to undo a pardon simply because it was signed by autopen, as he said?"

Leavitt answered her question saying, "The president was begging the question that I think a lot of journalists in this room should be asking, about whether or not the former president of the United States, who I think we can all finally agree was cognitively impaired."

The White House press secretary continued, "I know it took people some time to finally admit that, but we all know that to be true, as evidenced by his disastrous debate performance against President Trump during the campaign."

She also said that Trump was raising the point that did Biden even know about these pardons and was his legal signature used without his consent or knowledge?

She added, "According to The New York Post, there are Biden officials from the previous White House who raised those questions and wondered if the president was even consulted about his legally binding signature being signed onto documents."

"And so I think it’s a question that everybody in this room should be looking into because certainly that would propose perhaps criminal or illegal behavior if staff members were signing the President of the United States’ autograph without his consent," said the press secretary.

Collins then said, "But President Biden is on the record talking about issuing preemptive pardons to these people."

Leavitt asked Collins, "But was he aware of his signature being used on every single pardon? That’s a question you should ask the Biden White House."

Collins immediately counter-questioned, "Is there any evidence on that — that he wasn’t aware of it?"

Leavitt replied, "You’re a reporter, you should find out."

The autopen drama

President Trump wrote in his Truth Social post on Sunday, "In other words, Joe Biden did not sign them (Pardons) but, more importantly, he did not know anything about them! The necessary Pardoning Documents were not explained to, or approved by, Biden. He knew nothing about them, and the people that did may have committed a crime."

He added, "Therefore, those on the Unselect Committee, who destroyed and deleted ALL evidence obtained during their two year Witch Hunt of me, and many other innocent people, should fully understand that they are subject to investigation at the highest level. The fact is, they were probably responsible for the Documents that were signed on their behalf without the knowledge or consent of the Worst President in the History of our Country, Crooked Joe Biden!"

Biden had issued a series of preemptive pardons to many individuals, including his family members like brothers James and Francis Biden, sister Valerie Biden Owens, and their spouses, during his final hours in office, per Daily Mail.

Moreover, he also mentioned that his family had been "subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me - the worst kind of partisan politics".

He also issued preemptive pardons for members of the January 6 Committee, including panel Chairman Rep Bennie Thompson and former Republican Rep Liz Cheney, per Daily Mail.

Meanwhile, Trump's assertion that the use of an autopen invalidates these pardons is unprecedented. The autopen has been used by presidents for decades to sign various documents, including legislation and executive orders when they are unavailable to sign them personally, per the outlet.

Interestingly, several legal experts usually upheld the validity of autopen signatures.

However, the specific use of these signatures for presidential pardons has not been extensively tested in courts and thus makes room for debate.

Internet divided as Karoline Leavitt backpedals on Donald Trump's declaration

People on the internet stayed divided and had mixed reactions as Karoline Leavitt backpedaled when asked about Donald Trump’s declaration that several pardons handed out by Joe Biden are "void".

A user wrote on X, "Trump knows how to pick the best press secretary", while one added, "Absolutely loved this. She's definitely a Great Press secretary. Love the way she handles these reporters."

A person also stated, "Damn, she’s good!" 

Another mentioned, "That quick wit is DANGEROUS."

A user wrote, "She’s not going to last the whole year."

Another commented, "You’re a joke."

A person added, "The onus of proof is on the one making the claim. Obviously."

Another stated, "Zero evidence."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.