A recent investigation by the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project suggests that nearly all documents bearing Joe Biden’s signature during his tenure were signed using an autopen device, with the sole exception being his letter announcing his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race.
The only document verified to bear Biden’s actual signature was his letter announcing his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race.
The autopen, a device that replicates a person’s signature, has been employed by U.S. presidents since the 1950s. In 2013, President Barack Obama became the first to sign a bill into law using an autopen while vacationing in Hawaii, based on a legal memo from President George W. Bush’s administration asserting that the president’s physical presence wasn’t necessary if the signature was authorized.
The Oversight Project’s findings raise concerns about Biden’s involvement in these autopen-signed documents. Notably, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) previously mentioned a conversation where Biden couldn’t recall signing an executive order halting LNG exports, suggesting he might not have personally signed it. This revelation prompts questions about who operated the autopen and whether Biden was aware of its use.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has called on the Department of Justice to investigate whether Biden’s cognitive state permitted unelected officials to govern without proper presidential oversight. If substantiated, this could imply that numerous executive actions, including orders and pardons, executed under Biden’s administration might lack legitimate presidential authorization, rendering them invalid.
“Whoever controlled the autopen controlled the presidency.”-The Oversight Project
