Latest news with #AnthonyFauci
The Hill
14 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Paul urges DOJ to charge Fauci to test pardon
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, is calling on the Justice Department (DOJ) to charge former senior national health adviser Anthony Fauci with lying to Congress to test whether former President Biden's pardon of Fauci will hold up in court. 'I do believe Anthony Fauci committed a felony by lying to Congress,' Paul told pro-President Trump activist Charlie Kirk in an interview when asked whether Biden pardon's signed by autopen would hold up in court. 'You have to charge him with a felony, take him to court and then the court will decide whether or not the pardon is upheld,' he continued. 'You can argue until you're blue in the face that you can't do autopens and that maybe the president wasn't aware of it. But the only way to actually do this is to charge someone who has been pardoned.' The Kentucky Republican added, 'I think Anthony Fauci is the most likely to be chargeable. There are other people — Hunter Biden could be charged as well — but someone has to be charged.' Paul says Fauci testified before Congress 'in a very vigorous and heated and animated way' that the National Institutes of Health never funded gain-of-function virus research in Wuhan, China. 'This is directly contradicted by the actual people who were involved in the funding,' the senator said. Other Republicans, however, have expressed skepticism about challenging the autopen pardons after Biden told The New York Times that he personally approved them. 'I made every decision,' Biden told The Times earlier this month. He said he had his staff use an autopen to replicate his signature because 'we're talking about a whole lot of people.' Biden also pardoned his son Hunter, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on Congress.
Fox News
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Biden chief of staff reportedly gave approval for autopen pardons on final day in office
Former President Joe Biden's chief of staff issued final approval for multiple high-profile preemptive pardons during Biden's final days in office, according to a new report. Biden's alleged use of the autopen has become a sticking point for months, as President Donald Trump has said thousands of pardons Biden signed were void and claimed that the former president did not know what documents he was signing through the automated device. Biden issued a series of preemptive pardons on his final day to officials including former Chief Medical Advisor to the President, Anthony Fauci, and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley in an attempt to safeguard them from retribution from Trump. In an article intended to be his defense for the autopen issue, it emerged that, although Biden reportedly made the decision in a meeting, Biden's Chief of Staff Jeff Zients is the one who gave final approval for the use of the autopen, at least in the case of Fauci and Milley, the New York Times reported. WHAT IS AN AUTOPEN? THE SIGNING DEVICE AT THE HEART OF TRUMP'S ATTACKS ON BIDEN PARDONS On Biden's final day as president, Jan. 19, Biden had a meeting with his aides until nearly 10 p.m. to talk about various preemptive pardons, the Times reports. Emails obtained by the Times show that an aide sent a summary draft of the decisions formalized during that meeting to Zient's assistant at 10:03 p.m. The assistant sent the email to Zients and others present in the meeting, requesting approval from Zients and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Bruce Reed at 10:28 p.m., the Times reported. Zients replied all to the email three minutes later, the outlet said. "I approve the use of the autopen for the execution of all of the following pardons," Zients said in the email, according to the Times. Zients could not be immediately reached for comment by Fox News Digital. Additionally, the Times report said that Biden did not personally approve each name included in the broad, categorical pardons. "Rather, after extensive discussion of different possible criteria, he signed off on the standards he wanted to be used to determine which convicts would qualify for a reduction in sentence," the Times reported. In response, the White House said that the report shed light on Biden's trustworthiness, and accused the Biden administration of engaging in a cover-up scheme. TRUMP CLAIMS BIDEN PARDONS ARE 'VOID,' ALLEGING THEY WERE SIGNED VIA AUTOPEN "The same president who lied through his teeth to the American people for four years about everything from his health to the state of the economy should not be trusted again," White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in an email to Fox News. "The Biden administration conducted the most egregious cover-up scheme in American politics … The truth will come out about who was, in fact, running the country sooner or later, just as the truth is emerging about the state of Joe Biden's cognitive and physical health." Biden granted a total of 4,245 acts of clemency during his administration, 96% of which were granted during his final months in office between October 2024 and January, according to the Pew Research Center. Trump first accused Biden of using an autopen to sign important clemency documents in March. He has continued to bring up the issue, and sent a memo ordering Attorney General Pam Bondi to launch an investigation into Biden's autopen use in June, and to probe if the usage stemmed from a decline in Biden's mental acuity. "In recent months, it has become increasingly apparent that Biden's aides abused the power of presidential signatures through the use of an autopen to conceal Biden's cognitive decline and assert Article II authority," Trump wrote in the memo. BIDEN'S 'AUTOPEN SIGNATURE' APPEARS ON MOST OFFICIAL DOCS, RAISING CONCERNS OVER WHO CONTROLLED THE WH: REPORT "This conspiracy marks one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history. 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." A White House official previously told Fox News Digital that Trump uses his hand signature for every legally operational or binding document. Even so, Trump has admitted that he uses an autopen for letters. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP An autopen is a machine that physically holds a pen and features programming to imitate a person's signature. Unlike a stamp or a digitized print of a signature, the autopen has the capability to hold various types of pens like a ballpoint to a permanent marker, according to descriptions of autopen machines available for purchase. Fox News' Andrea Margolis and Pat Ward contributed to this report.
Fox News
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Biden Chief of Staff OK'd Autopen Pardons, Email Reveals
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here's what's happening… - Trump's whirlwind week ahead to include meeting with NATO chief, 'major' announcement on Russia - UK to roll out red carpet in 'unprecedented' second Trump visit hosted by King Charles - Democrats seize on Epstein files drama with new transparency calls Former President Joe Biden's chief of staff issued final approval for multiple high-profile preemptive pardons during Biden's final days in office, according to a new report. Biden's alleged use of the autopen has become a sticking point for months, as President Donald Trump has said thousands of pardons Biden signed were void and claimed that the former president did not know what documents he was signing through the automated device. Biden issued a series of preemptive pardons on his final day to officials, including former chief medical advisor to the president Anthony Fauci and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, in an attempt to safeguard them from retribution from Trump… READ MORE. FAITH MEETS FORTUNE: Trump gathers CEOs for unprecedented faith, economy meeting to renew US 'spiritually and financially' PUTIN'S RECKONING: Trump's whirlwind week ahead to include meeting with NATO chief, 'major' announcement on Russia 'GOD ALONE SAVED ME': Trump says 'American spirit' triumphs over 'forces of evil' on anniversary of Butler assassination attempt CLOCK TICKING: Mother of slain soldier held by Hamas terrorists for 4,000 days makes plea to Trump PROJECT UNDERWATER: Navy delays next-gen submarine to 2040, threatening US sea power NO CUTS AHEAD: Trump urges rate cuts to boost savings, but Fed says economy is strong DEAL OR TARIFFS: Trump, Rutte announce 'really big' NATO arms package amid new 50 day deadline to Putin 'NATO IS PAYING': Trump says US will send Patriot missiles to Ukraine, adding Putin 'talks nice and then he bombs' SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP: UK to roll out red carpet in 'unprecedented' second Trump visit hosted by King Charles 'BLOOD COVENANT': Iranian crowdfunding campaign claims to raise $40M as reward for assassinating Trump ALLIES ON NOTICE: Pentagon presses Japan, Australia on role in possible Taiwan conflict 'PUT UP': Democrats seize on Epstein files drama with new transparency calls 'TRUE WARRIOR': FIRST ON FOX: 'A true warrior': Retiring Rep Mark Green endorses his potential replacement in GOP race TRADE TIDE TURNS: From cattle to crude: How Trump's tariffs are rattling the Lone Star State CASH AMID CHAOS: Hochul hauls in big bucks amid lackluster poll numbers and calls to endorse Mamdani 'FIVE-ALARM WARNING': Mamdani's failure to walk back these positions could cause reckoning in Democratic Party: 'Five-alarm warning' QUIET EXIT: Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell's secluded hideout hits the market 'HAD A GREAT TIME': Newsom, Vance exchange jabs over immigration after VP's California vacation: 'Hope you enjoy your family time' ARMED AND DANGEROUS: Suspect wanted in anti-ICE Texas ambush previously sued in past protest incident Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on
The Guardian
14-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Biden denies White House aides granted clemency without his knowledge
Joe Biden has denied claims that his circle of aides acted without his knowledge when he granted a slew of pardons and commutations in the final days and hours of his presidency. 'I made every single one of those,' the former president told the New York Times in an interview published on Sunday when asked about claims that he was incapacitated and unaware of clemency decisions. Biden called the people making those claims 'liars', adding, 'They know it.' Donald Trump's successor and predecessor in the Oval Office issued three sets of clemency during his final days, including reducing sentences of hundreds of non-violent drug offenders and commuting the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates to life without parole. He pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, of convictions on federal gun and tax charges, too. And he also granted pre-emptive pardons to other members of his immediate family, along with the former top public health adviser Dr Anthony Fauci and ex-joint chiefs of staff chair Gen Mark Milley. Conservatives have alleged that the commutations and pardons, along with executive orders passed during his term, are not binding because they were signed using an autopen printer to reproduce a signature and could therefore not be verified as being directly authorized by Biden himself. In Sunday's interview, Biden hit back at that suggestion, telling the Times he hadn't personally signed the orders simply 'because there were a lot of them'. 'The autopen … is legal,' Biden said. 'As you know, other presidents used it, including Trump. But the point is that … we're talking about a whole lot of people.' Trump was asked about Biden's interview comments on Monday, and he called them 'a tremendous scandal'. 'I guarantee he knew nothing about what he was signing – I guarantee it,' Trump added, without offering evidence supporting his assertion. He went on to repeat his previously stated view that the autopen should be used for responding to thousands of letters from young people that write in. Biden's remarks come days after Kevin O'Connor, his White House doctor, declined to answer questions from a Republican-led congressional committee looking into the former president's mental acuity while in office – and whether he was aware of documents signed with his 'autopen' signature. The House oversight committee chair, James Comer, slammed O'Connor's refusal to answer questions and assertion of his constitutional rights against self-incrimination, saying: 'It's clear there was a conspiracy to cover up President Biden's cognitive decline.' Trump has claimed that Biden's autopen pardons issued to lawmakers and staff on the congressional committee that investigated the Capitol attack on 6 January 2021 have no force because they were not signed by hand. 'In other words, Joe Biden did not sign them but, more importantly, he did not know anything about them!' Trump wrote on his social media site in March. Two months before that post, Trump began his second presidency by issuing 1,500 unconditional pardons or commutations to supporters of his who carried out the Capitol attack after he lost the 2020 election to Biden. Trump, who signs orders with Sharpie, often before media cameras, has also used the autopen. But Trump has claimed he does that 'only for very unimportant papers' or signing return letters that come from 'letters of support for young people, from people that aren't feeling well, etc. 'But to sign pardons and all of the things that he signed with an autopen is disgraceful,' Trump has said. No law governs a president's use of an autopen. In 2005, an opinion from the US justice department said an autopen could be used to sign legislation, and Barack Obama became the first president to do so in 2011. Biden has previously pushed back on Republican claims he was unaware of what was being issued in his name. 'Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency,' he said in June. 'I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn't is ridiculous and false.' In his most recent remarks, to the Times, Biden accused Republicans of using the autopen issue as diversion. 'They've lied so consistently about almost everything they're doing,' he said. 'The best thing they can do is try to change the focus and focus on something else. And … I think that's what this is about.'
Daily Mail
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Dr. Fauci referred to top prosecutor for criminal charges
Republican Rand Paul is redoubling his efforts in his investigation into the man who led America's COVID-19 response, Dr. Anthony Fauci. The Kentucky senator, who has grilled Fauci about the pandemic since 2021, is demanding that he be criminally prosecuted for lying to Congress in light of new shocking details about his presidential pardon. Fauci was granted a preemptive pardon by ex-President Joe Biden as he left office, which could shield him from some consequences related to the pandemic. But Biden admitted the pardon was signed by autopen, and not himself, raising questions about his mental state as he issued the sweeping relief for Fauci. 'If the President didn't authorize this pardon personally, then the Department has a duty to investigate and prosecute as it would any ordinary citizen,' Paul wrote in a post on X made Monday afternoon, announcing his latest legal move against Fauci. Paul told the Daily Mail last month that he was preparing to subpoena Fauci as part of an expanded Senate investigation into the origins of Covid-19 and US-funded research in Wuhan, China. The goal: scrutinize Fauci's role in approving controversial virus experiments. Paul announced earlier on Monday that he would 'reissue [his] criminal referral of Anthony Fauci to Trump DOJ!' The Kentucky Republican then followed up his initial post, noting that 'perjury is a crime. And Fauci must be held accountable.' Fauci testified in 2023 before the U.S Senate and noted that he had 'never lied before Congress.' 'This directly contradicts everything he said in committee hearing to me, denying absolutely that they funded any gain of function, and it's absolutely a lie. That's why I sent an official criminal referral to the DOJ,' Paul wrote on X back in 2023. Paul also said that he hasn't yet been given access to the names of people who were part of the process determining the Wuhan research, but is continuing to seek interviews. During a press conference in the Oval Office held Monday morning, President Donald Trump addressed his predecessor's autopen usage, noting that he thought it was 'maybe one of the biggest scandals that we've had in 50-100 years. This is a tremendous scandal... I guarantee you he knew nothing about what he was signing. I guarantee it.' Former President Joe Biden told the New York Times in a story published Sunday that he made 'every decision.' But he revealed that when it came to large groups of people, he did not individually approve the names of every single person he pardoned during his final months in the White House. Instead, he signed off on the criteria and standards he wanted to be used to determine which criminals received reduced sentences. This placed offenders into categories, some of which were issued sweeping pardons. His decision to speak out on the issue comes after Republicans have spent months demonizing the autopen's usage and questioning whether Biden was ever even aware of the decisions being made. Legal experts note that enforcing a congressional subpoena can be difficult and may be dependent on whether the Justice Department wants to pursue contempt charges. Dr. Fauci also holds the option of challenging the subpoena in court, potentially further delaying any testimony. Theo Wold, an Oversight Project board member and fellow at the Heritage Foundation, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee last month, noting that dozens of controversial clemency warrants – including Dr. Fauci's – were signed using an autopen, not by President Biden himself. Wold argued that this procedural irregularity could undermine the validity of the pardons. 'In addition, we found that the Biden White House used the autopen to affix President Biden's signature to clemency warrants and executive orders while the President himself was in Washington, DC, for at least some of that day, and thus was presumably available to sign important executive actions,' Wold added. Many legal scholars say the US Constitution does not require a presidential pardon to be signed by hand, and judicial precedent supports the use of autopen for official documents, including pardons.
