BREAKING: Joe Biden Admits to New York Times That…

Joe Biden admitted to The New York Times that he did not personally sign off on every pardon and commutation issued during his presidency, an acknowledgment that has sparked intense debate over how involved he truly was in carrying out one of the most consequential powers of the office.

“I made every decision on the categories and top-level individuals, but the mechanics were left to staff,” Biden told the Times. That sentence alone sent shockwaves through political and legal communities.

According to the New York Post, Biden’s White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients authorized the use of the autopen to execute a sweeping set of clemency actions on January 19, 2025. This included about 2,500 pardons and 1,500 commutations.

The New York Post confirmed, “Biden admitted that he didn’t review every clemency case individually and that his chief of staff, Jeff Zients, authorized the use of the autopen.”

The same report added, “The autopen application, which Biden also used to sign some legislation, allowed staff to speed up paperwork processing.”

While Biden insisted, as quoted in ABC News, that he personally made “every decision,” he conceded that he did not individually sign off on each document, saying, “I approved each of the clemency decisions before they were issued.”

The Daily Beast quoted Biden dismissing Republican criticism: “That is utter BS,” he said, responding to allegations that he had no hand in the clemency spree.

Still, Biden’s comments confirmed the worst fears of critics who have questioned his cognitive fitness and decision-making capacity. As Time reported, the final flurry of clemency actions was conducted with Biden out of public view.

Time added context, noting, “Emails show Biden’s chief of staff, Jeff Zients, approved the use of the autopen to execute clemency documents on the president’s behalf.”

In the same article, the legal implications were underscored: “While it is legally permissible, it is extremely rare for a president to use an autopen to sign something as consequential as a clemency order.”

Republican leaders swiftly seized on the opportunity to highlight Biden’s detachment. House Oversight Chair James Comer was quoted as saying, “This isn’t just about a signature. It’s about transparency, accountability, and who really was making decisions in that White House.”

Comer continued, as cited in ABC News, “We are investigating whether this use of the autopen was a way to obscure Biden’s declining capacity and whether any of the beneficiaries had connections to the administration.”

The legal debate over autopen use isn’t new, but Biden’s large-scale application is unprecedented. According to Time, “It has never been used on this scale or for something with the constitutional gravity of a pardon.”

Even some Democrats were privately concerned. One DNC strategist, speaking anonymously to Politico, said, “It feeds the narrative that Biden isn’t all there.”

The same strategist added, “If he wasn’t fully engaged on something as serious as clemency, what else was he rubber-stamping?”

In response to concerns, the Daily Beast reported that Biden maintained, “Each recipient was vetted and met the established standards for clemency.”

But skepticism remains. As Time highlighted, “The Justice Department is now investigating whether any of the pardons were improperly influenced.”

This adds to a growing list of concerns among voters and lawmakers alike. ABC News reported that the clemency decisions were made with “speed and secrecy,” raising transparency questions.

Donald Trump, seizing the moment, weighed in: “He didn’t have the guts or the capacity to do his job,” he said during a recent rally, as quoted in The Daily Beast.

Trump added, “You don’t get to hide behind a machine when you’re playing with the law.”