The White House investigation into Biden’s autopen scandal has gone into overdrive. More than 27,000 signed records have already been pulled, and legal counsel expects the final count to top 1 million documents. The central issue is presidential authority. Biden did not personally hand-sign most clemency actions, policy orders, and directives. Staffers used a mechanical autopen to authorize decisions without his direct involvement.
One document was signed by hand. That was Hunter Biden’s pardon. The rest—over 1,500 clemency acts, dozens of executive orders, and hundreds of directives—were rubber-stamped by machine. Trump’s DOJ now says every single autopen pardon could be invalid. Article II powers cannot be transferred to aides, even senior ones. The Constitution assigns that power to the elected president only.
Aides like Stefanie Feldman and Jeff Zients reportedly directed autopen use based on verbal blurbs, then issued formal documents with Biden’s signature without live approval. Oversight Committee subpoenas have already gone out to Anthony Bernal, Annie Tomasini, and other Biden inner circle figures. Biden’s personal physician refused to answer when asked if cognitive decline played a role. He took the Fifth.
Congressional investigators say this reaches far beyond convenience. Biden did not hand-sign defense orders, economic policy reversals, or national security directives. Staffers executed decisions and used the autopen to make it official. That process is now under scrutiny. The executive branch runs on signature authority. The signature must be real. The decision must be live. Anything else is a shadow regime.
The DOJ review is internal, but aggressive. Trump’s legal team is preparing to void every autopen pardon issued without direct approval. That includes controversial names like Fauci, Milley, and multiple January 6 figures. Biden may have never read their files. He may have never seen their names. But their clemency was processed and delivered on his behalf.
This isn’t just a paperwork issue. It’s a test of how far staff power went during Biden’s presidency. If unelected aides crafted and executed policy without full sign-off, the administration’s legal footprint collapses. The White House says it wants transparency. Congress says they want accountability. Trump says the Constitution demands it.
Sources:
https://www.rifttv.com/white-house-reviews-bidens-autopen-in-massive-document-dive/
https://www.yahoo.com/news/biden-defends-autopen-clemency-decisions-142235599.html
https://yournews.com/2025/07/15/3631463/white-house-counsel-probing-bidens-autopen-use-as-over-one/
