U.S. House Republicans are zeroing in on the use of an autopen by former President Joe Biden that is believed to have been used for sensitive pardons and executive orders signed in the final days and hours of his administration, including several for his closest family members.
New revelations about the declining mental acuity of Biden have prompted House Oversight Chair James Comey (R-KY) to deepen his investigation into whether Biden was lucid and approving of the pardons and orders, or whether those around him forged ahead to protect Hunter Biden, James Biden, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and others from future criminal prosecution.
For the past year, many of the players involved were saying “they had just talked to Biden, [and] he was tip-top, great physical condition, he was at the top of his game,” Comey said in a recent interview. “Now they’re coming back saying, ‘Yeah, looks like he was in mental decline.’”
Central to the investigation will be who in the Biden White House authorized the use of an autopen, a tool traditionally utilized by heads of state for the signing of less prominent resolutions, executive orders, or legislation requiring an official signature. Comey and other critics say that, given Biden’s declining mental health, it’s very likely he was unaware of how his signature was being used by others.
“What we need to know is, who was calling the shots at the White House?” he asked Fox News’ Jesse Watters, noting that documents with “legal implications” must be “signed personally” by the president.
“It can’t be signed by an autopen. You use autopens for proclamations and mass letters and things like that. So I think if we can understand more about the autopen and whether Joe Biden authorized it, I think this could lead to a lot of those executive orders being kicked out in court.”
At Thursday’s press briefing, Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt if she is prepared to produce evidence that the Biden administration was using an autopen to sign executive orders and pardons in the final days of his presidency.
“I can tell you here at this White House, the president signs any document that has legal implications,” Leavitt responded. “The president signs every executive order. He signs every proclamation. He signs pretty much every document that is needed for the president’s signature, with the exception of maybe some letters to children. From what we have heard and seen, that was not the case in the previous administration. And the president is raising good questions that are worth looking into.”
Comey’s investigation builds on one by the Heritage Foundation earlier this year, which found President Biden’s autopen signature affixed to a bevy of executive orders and official documents. Those included his statement resigning from the 2024 presidential race.
Asked about the status of subpoenas in the investigation, Comey added, “The letters have already gone out to the staffers as well as Dr. [Kevin] O’Connor,” the president’s personal physician.
“If we don’t hear anything from them in a week, then I would expect to start seeing subpoenas.”
