President Joe Biden has defended his use of an autopen during his final weeks in office, explaining that he approved the criteria for mass pardons but did not individually sign each document. The administration faced criticism, with former President Donald Trump suggesting the practice concealed Biden’s cognitive decline and undermined executive authority. Biden’s aides used the aut, which involved using an autopen to apply his signature to standardized documents, streamlining the process.
During his final weeks in office, Biden granted clemency and pardoned more than 1,500 individuals, in what the White House described at the time as the largest single-day act of clemency by a U.S. president. Speaking to the New York Times, Biden emphasized that he made every decision himself, though his staff used the autopen to apply his signature to documents after he approved the criteria for each category of pardon.
However, the use of an autopen raised concerns about transparency and accountability. Trump, who has been a vocal critic of Biden’s actions, accused Biden’s aides of abusing executive authority by concealing his cognitive decline and allowing the autopen to be used to sign thousands of documents without direct involvement. Trump’s allegations were part of a broader controversy that has fueled debates about the limits of presidential power and the integrity of the executive branch.
In June, Trump directed the Department of Justice to investigate whether the autopen use was related to Biden’s mental state, calling it one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history. Trump argued that the practice had allowed the White House to conceal who actually wielded executive power, particularly in matters involving the pardon process.
Biden’s defenders, including his administration, have emphasized that the autopen was a standard practice used by past presidents to efficiently manage large volumes of paperwork. They argue that the use of the autopen did not compromise the legitimacy of the pardons, as the final decisions were approved by Biden himself. However, this defense has not quelled the controversy, which continues to spark heated political debates and public scrutiny.