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If you're just getting up, shortly after midnight, Trump simply asserted that he has the authority to invalidate some of Biden's pardons – which is every bit as radical and bonkers as it seems

There’s a lot to unpack in this 158-word harangue, and there’s probably no point in highlighting every individual error of fact and judgment. The bottom line, however, is relatively straightforward: Trump claims that Biden didn’t actually sign pardons for members of the bipartisan House Jan. 6 committee, so as far as the Republican is concerned, prosecutors are free to go after them, despite the fact that there’s literally no evidence that they did anything wrong.

The entire pitch is based on the president’s apparent belief that (a) his immediate predecessor used an autopen to sign the pardons; (b) documents signed by autopens don’t count; and (c) Biden suffered from mental deterioration to such a horrific degree that he wasn’t aware of his own policies and preferences.

The first point is dubious, given that there’s no evidence that Biden used the tool to issue the pardons; the second point appears unsupported by law; and the third point is offensive on its face.

But let’s also not lose sight of the forest for the trees: For the first time in American history, a sitting president is asserting the right to invalidate a predecessor’s pardons.

In other words, as the United States deals with a sustained offensive against the rule of law, Trump has made up a new power for himself that does not exist.

To be sure, there’s often a disconnect between what Trump says he’s doing and what he’s actually doing. The Republican has now claimed in writing that he’s voiding some Biden-era pardons, but given recent history, it’s entirely possible that in the coming hours and days, the White House will pretend he never actually published such a message. Perhaps, in other words, this radicalism will soon be forgotten.

But if Trump seriously takes steps to undo Biden's pardons, because he feels like it, the coming fight will be dramatic.