House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer is calling on the Justice Department to open an investigation into who may have authorized the widespread use of the autopen during former President Joe Biden’s scandal-plagued term.In a 100-page report released Tuesday, the Republican-led committee alleged that members of Biden’s inner circle concealed the president’s cognitive decline and relied on an autopen — a mechanical device that reproduces a person’s signature — to authorize executive actions, pardons, and other official decisions without Biden’s direct involvement.
“Faced with the cognitive decline of President Joe Biden, White House aides — at the direction of the inner circle — hid the truth about the former president’s condition and fitness for office,” the report charged, as reported by Fox News.
The report criticized what it described as a “haphazard documentation process” for presidential pardons under Biden, alleging that the irregularities cast doubt on whether the former president personally approved the clemency decisions.
“In the absence of sufficient contemporaneous documentation indicating that cognitively deteriorating President Biden himself made a given executive decision, such decisions do not carry the force of law and should be considered void,” said the report.
Comer is urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to review all executive actions taken between Biden’s inauguration and departure, particularly his controversial pardons. “Given the patterns and findings detailed herein,” the report continued, “this review should focus particularly on all acts of clemency. However, it should also include all other types of executive actions.”
The Oversight Committee’s investigation also questioned Hunter Biden’s reported role in the pardon process. According to testimony from former White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, Hunter Biden was present during discussions about “preemptive pardons” that were considered for members of the Biden family.
