Trump's obsession with autopen: An examination
Rebellious Response:
Trump's old feud with Biden's autopen usage has taken a new twist. Last week, the former Prez decided to ramp up the drama by ordering an investigation into the alleged connection between Biden's mental decline and his reliance on the autopen, according to CNN.
John Yoo, a conservative executive authority scholar, initially brushed off Trump's initial digs on the issue as mere fun at Biden's expense, but now it seems Trump is dead serious about this investigation.
So what's the beef? Well, Trump is accusing Biden of cognitive decline based on his use of the autopen, a device that lets a president sign documents without physically putting pen to paper. But here's the juicy part - Trump's allegations could potentially invalidate Biden's pardons, which could open up the door for Trump's Justice Department to investigate and charge those folks Biden preemptively pardoned.
But hold your horses, people. The use of an autopen has a rich history dating back to Thomas Jefferson when the gizmo was first patented in 1803, according to the Shapell Manuscript Foundation. Even Trump himself admitted to using the autopen, but only for "very unimportant papers" like responding to people's letters.
The legal hassle of using an autopen has been kicked around since the Bush era. In 2005, under a Republican president, the Justice Department found that a president doesn't have to personally sign a bill to sign it. The Constitution doesn't even stipulate how pardons need to be issued - they don't even require the president's signature for goodness sake!
Trump's been gunning for Biden's pardons since the get-go, but legal advisors aren't on board with his claims. A 1929 memo from the U.S. Solicitor General noted that there's no requirement for pardons to be publicly documented, and they certainly don't need the president's autograph. So there go Trump's dreams of invalidating Biden's pardons.
It's a high-stakes game, and Trump's got form when it comes to playing political dirty. Remember birtherism and the bogus notion that the 2020 election was rigged? This autopen investigation falls squarely in the same category. But it's tough to see how this'll pan out, especially since there's nothing evidently wrong or unlawful about using the autopen.
In the end, it's all about creating a ruckus and keeping the focus away from more pressing issues. The right-wing media are lapping it up, with Fox News devoting dozens of stories and extensive coverage to it already. It's a distraction, folks - plain and simple. But hey, if ya like chaos, buckle up 'cause we're in for a wild ride!
- The debate surrounding the legitimacy of President Biden's pardons, instigated by Trump's accusations of cognitive decline based on the use of an autopen, can be categorized as part of the broader conversation in politics and policy-and-legislation.
- The ongoing investigation into the alleged connection between President Biden's mental decline and his use of the autopen, as well as the potential invalidation of his pardons, has created a significant stir in general-news, paralleling other instances of war-and-conflicts in the field of politics.
