President Trump mocks Biden with autopen portrait in West Wing
President Donald Trump mocked Joe Biden by displaying his autopen signature on the “Presidential Walk of Fame” in the West Wing of the White House.
Republican lawmakers on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are calling on the Justice Department to open an investigation into former President Joe Biden’s use of an autopen to sign government documents in a newly released report that questions Biden’s mental state and executive actions.
In its report, released Oct. 28, the committee scathingly criticized the administration, alleging that White House aides engaged in a cover-up to conceal Mr. Biden’s cognitive decline and saying the administration’s use of autopens allowed staff to enact policies without the president’s knowledge. The report echoes the claims of President Donald Trump and his Republican allies, who conclude without presenting new evidence, argue that former aides’ refusal to participate in the investigation constitutes a cover-up, and are calling for the Justice Department to intervene.
In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondy on Oct. 28, committee chair Rep. James Comer asked the Justice Department to investigate “all executive actions” of Mr. Biden to determine whether the former White House physician and two aides committed “criminal conduct.”
The report questioned the legitimacy of Biden’s executive actions, pointing to his use of an autopen, a device that mechanically reproduces signatures that presidents have used for decades. Trump told reporters in March that he used the document “only for very unimportant papers.”
After a months-long investigation, Republican committee members concluded that Biden’s executive actions, which they said could include “unwarranted” pardons and executive actions, “need to be scrutinized to determine whether legal action is necessary to improve outcomes.” The committee also concluded that Biden’s presidential actions, signed using an autopen, are considered “null and void.” However, it does not have the power to annul an enforcement action.
“The committee found that numerous executive actions taken under the Biden administration, particularly the amnesty actions, were unlawful,” the report said. “Accordingly, the committee urges the Department of Justice to investigate all alleged executive actions by President Joe Biden.”
The report also names two aides who served under the Biden administration who declined to answer questions during the investigation by the Republican-led House Oversight Committee. Senior aides Anthony Bernal and Annie Tomasini invoked the Fifth Amendment when they were called to testify, along with Biden’s personal physician Kevin O’Connor. Mr. Comer sent a letter to the chairman of the District of Columbia Medical Board asking for an investigation into Mr. O’Connor in addition to the Justice Department’s investigation.
The former president was furious at suggestions that his administration had misused autopens, and defended himself in a July 13 interview with the New York Times.
“You know, autopens are legal. You know, other presidents have used autopens, including Trump,” Biden said, according to excerpts of the interview published by the Times. “They’re liars,” Biden said when asked about Republican claims that the White House abused autopens.
“They have consistently lied about almost everything they do. The best thing they can do is change their focus and focus on something else,” the former president said. “That is consistent with President Trump’s strategy.”
In 2023, the House Oversight and Accountability Committee also released a 19-page report alleging that Biden and his family engaged in corrupt international business transactions, which the administration denounced as politically motivated and lacking evidence.
Contributors: Joey Garrison, Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY.
Kathryn Palmer is USA TODAY’s political reporter. You can contact her at kapalmer@usatoday.com or at X@.Kathryn Purml.
