Former President Joe Biden defended his use of the autopen, a device that replicates signatures, during the final days of his presidency, asserting that all decisions made under his name were fully authorized by him.
The statement comes as House and Senate Republicans, alongside President Trump's Justice Department, ramp up investigations into Biden’s fitness for office in the final stretch of his term. Central to the inquiries is whether White House staff may have misused the autopen to authorize clemency actions without Biden’s direct oversight, especially as concerns mounted over his declining health, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
“I made every decision,” Biden told The Times, responding to criticism that the use of the autopen signaled diminished presidential control. “We’re talking about a whole lot of people,” he added, referring to the nearly 4,000 federal inmates whose sentences were commuted in January.
While many clemency documents, including those for members of Biden’s family, were executed with the autopen, Biden and his aides maintain that all policy decisions and criteria for the pardons were reviewed and approved by him beforehand.
Emails reviewed by The Times show that on January 19, 2025, just one day before Trump’s inauguration, then-Chief of Staff Jeff Zients emailed staff to confirm: “I approve the use of the autopen for the execution of all of the following pardons.”
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer labeled the use of the autopen without direct physical signatures on each document as “a historic scandal.” In a statement to Axios, he said, “The House Oversight Committee will continue pursuing answers to prevent such an abuse from happening again.”
Comer’s committee has already deposed several current and former Biden aides. Notably, Biden’s presidential physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, invoked the Fifth Amendment during questioning last week. More interviews are scheduled in the coming weeks, and Trump has waived executive privilege for relevant Biden-era aides to testify freely.
Biden’s 10-minute conversation with The Times was his first interview with the publication since taking office in 2021. His presidency was often marked by limited media appearances, which staff attributed to a lifelong stutter and increasing concerns about his age-related communication difficulties.
Biden ended the interview with a pointed remark: “I understand why Trump would think that, because obviously, I guess, he doesn’t focus much. Anyway, yes, I made every decision.”
