Oversight Committee Urges DOJ To Void Biden's Autopen Pardons

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released a report on Tuesday titled, "The Biden Autopen Presidency: Decline, Delusion, and Deception in the White House," which raises serious concerns about the legitimacy of pardons issued by former President Joe Biden. The 100-page document details findings regarding Biden's mental and physical decline and the actions taken by his inner circle to obscure these issues.

Led by Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the committee asserts that White House officials exercised authority on behalf of Biden while intentionally concealing his deteriorating condition. The report claims that the administration's lack of documentation regarding executive decisions raises questions about whether Biden himself authorized various actions, including clemency granted at the end of his term.

The committee highlights that the use of an autopen to sign pardons, including those for Hunter Biden and other family members, was poorly documented. For instance, the report describes a January 19, 2025, incident where the decision to grant pardons was communicated second-hand, raising doubts about the authenticity of Biden's consent.

"The Committee deems void all executive actions signed by the autopen without proper, corresponding, contemporaneous, written approval traceable to the president’s own consent," the report states. This assertion calls into question the validity of pardons granted during Biden's presidency, particularly given the lack of documentation and oversight.

Key findings from the report indicate that there was no proper chain of custody for documents related to Biden's executive actions, and that senior officials were often unaware of who operated the autopen. In contrast to the procedures followed by former President Donald Trump's administration, which maintained strict oversight of executive signatures, Biden's team reportedly failed to document the president's decisions adequately.

The report also notes that Biden's staff may have disregarded internal recommendations for him to hand-sign pardons and other documents. Zients, Biden's chief of staff, testified that Biden included Hunter Biden in discussions about pardons, which raises ethical questions about the decision-making process.

Concerns were also raised by attorneys within the Biden Department of Justice regarding the pardon review process and the president's awareness of the criminal backgrounds of those receiving clemency. The committee's investigation suggests that the procedures for ascertaining Biden's approval for decisions were inconsistent and vulnerable to abuse.

In addition to the autopen issues, the report describes a broader effort by Biden's inner circle to manage the president's public image as his cognitive abilities declined. This included controlling his schedule, limiting public appearances, and even seeking guidance from Hollywood on public events. The committee criticized attempts by some Democrats to downplay Biden's cognitive decline, stating that such assertions amounted to "gaslighting."

The committee has called on the Department of Justice to investigate all executive actions taken during Biden's presidency to determine their legitimacy. As concerns about the former president's cognitive health continue to surface, the findings of this report may have significant implications for the Biden administration's legacy and the integrity of its executive actions.