The Biden Autopen Scandal: A Deepening Quagmire
The Biden Autopen scandal has taken a turn for the worse, unveiling layers of complexity that feel almost too theatrical for reality.
The Oversight Project has pulled back the curtain on this controversy, revealing that thousands of clemency acts and executive actions were signed using an autopen, rather than the traditional wet signature. This revelation raises eyebrows about the authenticity and oversight of presidential decisions.
Earlier this year, the Oversight Project reported a particularly striking instance: six criminals were pardoned by the autopen on December 30, 2022, while President Biden was enjoying a vacation and golfing in St. Croix. Ah, nothing like a little executive action on the links!
You were White House Staff Secretary when Biden autopenned pardons from the golf course in USVI.
This you? https://t.co/26z9C6cE7m pic.twitter.com/7btD2RTX0N
— Oversight Project (@ItsYourGov) March 17, 2025
In a brief interview with the New York Times, Joe Biden defended the autopen’s use, asserting that it was all above board. The Times, however, dug deeper into emails retrieved by the National Archives, revealing that Biden’s aides decided to use the autopen for signing pardons without having the President directly dictate those orders.
Biden asserted to the Times that he “orally granted all the pardons and commutations issued at the end of his term” and took a jab at former President Trump, labeling him a “liar” for claiming that the autopen was used without his express authorization.
“I made every decision,” Biden claimed during his phone interview. Yet, the Times reported that staff secretary Stefanie Feldman was the one who processed the clemency records through the autopen. It turns out that Biden did not approve the names for each pardon individually. After changes were made to the list of inmates, his aides simply ran the final version through the autopen without obtaining Biden’s approval. Instead of a thoughtful review, it became a routine procedure.
The New York Times elaborated, stating, “Mr. Biden did not individually approve each name for the categorical pardons that applied to large numbers of people, he and aides confirmed.” Biden may have set the criteria for who could qualify for pardons, but the execution—literally—was less meticulous.
In a further twist, White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zeints approved pardons for notable figures, including Dr. Fauci, during a meeting held on January 19. This meeting extended late into the evening as Biden and his aides deliberated the decisions.
At the Jan. 19 meeting, which took place in the Yellow Oval Room of the White House residence, Mr. Biden kept his aides until nearly 10 p.m. to talk through such decisions, according to people familiar with the matter.
The emails show that an aide to Mr. Siskel sent a draft summary of Mr. Biden’s decisions at that meeting to an assistant to Mr. Zients, copying Mr. Siskel, at 10:03 p.m. The assistant forwarded it to Mr. Reed and Mr. Zients, asking for their approval, and then sent a final version to Ms. Feldman — copying many meeting participants and aides — at 10:28 p.m.
Three minutes later, Mr. Zients hit “reply all” and wrote, “I approve the use of the autopen for the execution of all of the following pardons.”
The Oversight Committee, under the leadership of James Comer, has launched an investigation into the autopen scandal, issuing subpoenas for documents and testimonies from several Biden aides.
In an unexpected twist, Jill Biden’s Chief of Staff Anthony Bernal skipped his deposition, while White House physician Dr. O’Connor invoked the Fifth Amendment multiple times when questioned about Biden’s health decline.
Neera Tanden, a former Biden official, recently testified under oath before the House Oversight Committee. She acknowledged that she had significant control over the autopen’s use during her tenure, from October 2021 to May 2023. According to reports from the Washington Examiner, Tanden claimed she was authorized to direct the autopen but denied any manipulation or abuse of that power. Notably, she admitted she utilized the autopen without verifying its use with Biden himself.
