Columbia News

Senator Eric Schmitt has used his social media platform to address concerns about alleged legal violations, ongoing investigations into presidential pardons, and recent assaults on federal immigration enforcement agents. The following is a summary of Senator Schmitt’s recent posts and statements.

On July 14, 2025, Senator Schmitt suggested that certain individuals "may have broken several federal laws," listing statutes including fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1001), forgery (18 U.S.C. § 471), misuse of government property (18 U.S.C. § 641), conspiracy to defraud the United States (18 U.S.C. § 371), and obstruction of justice (18 U.S.C. § 1503 or § 1512). The senator’s statement can be found at this "They may have broken several federal laws:

- Fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1001)

- Forgery (18 U.S.C. § 471)

- Misuse of Government Property (18 U.S.C. § 641)

- Conspiracy to Defraud the United States (18 U.S.C. § 371)

- Obstruction of Justice (18 U.S.C. § 1503 or § 1512)" post.

Also on July 14, Senator Schmitt announced the continuation of his investigation regarding "the constitutionality and legality of these autopen pardons by Biden staffers." He stated: "To that end, my investigation into constitutionality and legality of these autopen pardons by Biden staffers will continue. More to come on this soon."

Later that day, Senator Schmitt drew attention to an increase in assaults against ICE agents, stating that such incidents are up nearly 700%. He described several recent events: "A police officer shot in the neck during an ambush on an ICE facility," "Explosive device thrown at agents in Portland," and "Dozens of rounds fired at a Border Patrol facility in Texas." The full statement is available here: "Assaults on ICE agents are up nearly 700%.

That's not a typo.

In just the past few weeks:

• A police officer shot in the neck during an ambush on an ICE facility

• Explosive device thrown at agents in Portland

• Dozens of rounds fired at a Border Patrol facility in Texas"

The use of autopen for signing official documents such as pardons has previously sparked debate over its legality and adherence to constitutional requirements for presidential actions.

---