Overview
- Comer made the demand during a Fox Business interview on Monday, saying depositions from Oversight and other committees show no evidence President Biden took part in last-day pardon decisions.
- Comer singled out the pardon for Dr. Anthony Fauci and said his panels have sent criminal referrals to the Department of Justice that they believe warrant further action.
- Legal analysts and multiple news reports counter that a completed presidential pardon is effectively final under Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution and cannot be revoked by Congress or a later president.
- Reporting noted there is no public evidence that an autopen was used for these specific pardons and that U.S. law does not require a hand-signed signature to make a pardon valid.
- Commentators warned that attempts to nullify pardons would create political and legal fallout, and coverage split along partisan lines with some outlets focusing on new COVID-era disclosures by Tulsi Gabbard and others emphasizing constitutional limits.