The House Oversight Committee on Tuesday declared executive actions performed by Biden White House staff and signed by autopen null and void, alleging aides and his physician concealed his decline, misused the autopen, and exercised presidential authority without direct authorization. The committee called on the DOJ to review all executive actions and scrutinize key aides who invoked the Fifth Amendment, while urging the D.C. Board of Medicine to examine Dr. Kevin O’Connor’s conduct.
According to the Oversight Committee report, senior Biden aides exercised presidential authority without authorization and frequently facilitated executive actions through the autopen. The committee found serious deficiencies in documentation and custody of Biden’s decision binder, with multiple instances where executive actions, including pardons and commutations, some involving Biden family members, were executed without verified approval. Aides and the White House physician coordinated to conceal Biden’s condition, controlling his schedule, media access, and public appearances, while political advisors blocked cognitive testing to protect reelection prospects.
The Oversight Project, in a separate report released Monday, reviewed roughly 1,597 enrolled copies of documents bearing Biden’s signature, including Executive Orders, pardons, commutations, proclamations, and bills. It found that 88.3% of non-public law documents were autopen-signed, with 82.2% of these executed while Biden was physically in D.C. The autopen was first used on day five of his presidency and its use increased as his mental and physical acuity declined. Investigators identified four distinct autopen signatures, labeled A through D, used throughout his term. Hand-signed bills displayed varying signatures that deteriorated over time.
Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) called the autopen misuse and staff-led executive actions “one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history,” asserting that the public was deliberately misled about Biden’s capacity to govern. The report calls for a full DOJ review of all executive actions, scrutiny of aides who refused to answer questions, and an investigation into Dr. O’Connor’s medical oversight.
The Oversight Project – THE AUTOPEN PRESIDENCY PART IV: COMPREHENSIVE SUMMARY OF AUTOPEN USE
