Trump ‘voids’ Biden’s last minute pardons after claim ex president made one crucial mistake when doing them

President Donald Trump has declared a wave of 11th-hour pardons made by his predecessor Joe Biden null and void, claiming the former US leader ‘did not know anything about them’.

As one of his final acts as the 46th President of the United States, 82-year-old Biden issued a series of pardons intended to shield a slew of public figures from politically motivated attacks.

Among those handed absolutions were members of the team investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol and Covid response chief Dr Anthony Fauci.

Mark Milley, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was also granted a pardon alongside members of Biden’s own family – his brothers James and Frank Biden, his sister Valerie Biden Owens, and their respective spouses.

Why did Biden issue these pardons in the first place?

At the time, the Democratic politician claimed he was motivated by his relatives being ‘subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats’.

“Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end,” he explained, also issuing pardons for his sister-in-law Sara Jones Biden and his brother-in-law John Owens.

Meanwhile, Biden commuted the life sentence of indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, 80, who was convicted of killing two FBI agents nearly 50 years ago, as per a statement.

The act of clemency permits Peltier, who NBC News reports suffers from a decline in health, to finish the remainder of his sentence under home confinement rather than behind bars.

A spokesperson for Trump, 78, initially hit out at Biden’s pardons, describing them as the ‘greatest attack on America’s justice system in history’, as per the BBC.