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There’s reportedly one significant exception where Biden did approve a specific case, but the Times didn’t elaborate on the details of that outlier.
Despite admitting he didn’t personally review thousands of names, Biden was adamant in the interview that all clemency actions were ultimately under his command. “I made every decision,” he told the Times, adding that he’d provided verbal authorization for the sweeping pardons.
Biden’s defenders have rushed to explain away the contradiction, arguing that it would be impossible for any president to personally vet every one of the more than 8,000 clemency actions carried out under his administration. By contrast, President Donald Trump’s first term saw fewer than 300 clemency decisions in total.
However, Republicans aren’t buying it — and neither are many Americans watching this unfold.
The New York Times’ bombshell report arrives just as congressional Republicans and the Trump Justice Department are ramping up investigations into the Biden White House’s heavy reliance on the “autopen.” The device, which can replicate a president’s signature without his hand ever touching a pen, has become the center of a firestorm of suspicion.
Representative James Comer of Kentucky, who chairs the House Oversight Committee, vowed to keep digging. “The House Oversight Committee will continue pursuing answers about this historic scandal to prevent such an abuse from happening again,” Comer told Axios.
Many on the right believe that Biden’s staff resorted to the autopen to cover up deeper issues surrounding the former president’s cognitive health. Trump himself has accused Biden’s team of using the mechanical signature tool to mask the president’s alleged decline while wielding executive power unchecked.
“In recent months, it has become increasingly apparent that former President Biden’s aides abused the power of Presidential signatures through the use of an autopen to conceal Biden’s cognitive decline and assert Article II authority,” President Donald Trump declared in a memo last month addressed to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“This conspiracy marks one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history. The American public was purposefully shielded from discovering who wielded the executive power, all while Biden’s signature was deployed across thousands of documents to effect radical policy shifts,” Trump added.
Beyond questions of executive legitimacy, critics are raising alarms about potential profiteering among Biden’s inner circle connected to the use of the autopen. Allegations swirl that staffers could have benefited personally by effectively controlling the presidential pen.
Adding fuel to the fire, just days ago Biden’s personal physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, appeared before the House Oversight Committee. But rather than shed light on the president’s health, O’Connor repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment rights — a move that sent shockwaves through Washington.
O’Connor’s legal team quickly issued a statement asserting that his silence was purely to protect “confidential patient information” related to the former president. Yet conservatives are skeptical and suspect there’s far more to the story.
Many believe the doctor’s repeated refusals to testify substantively were less about privacy and more about shielding the public from the truth — namely, the possibility of a significant cover-up regarding Biden’s capacity to serve during his presidency.
With Biden’s own words now confirming he wasn’t at the helm of every clemency decision, critics say the autopen scandal is poised to become a major flashpoint in the ongoing debate over transparency, presidential authority, and fitness for office.
One thing is certain: the fight for answers is far from over.
