President Donald Trump has called for an investigation into the use of an "autopen" by his predecessor, Joe Biden, suggesting it may have been used to sign executive orders without Biden's knowledge.
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This comes as part of a broader claim by Trump that Biden's staff covered up his cognitive decline during his term in office. An autopen is a device capable of replicating a person's signature, and its use has been a common practice in the White House for decades, including during Trump's presidency.
Trump's memo to Attorney General Pam Bondi raises concerns about the legitimacy of Biden's executive actions and the pardons he issued, particularly the commutation of 37 inmates on federal death row. The former president has not provided evidence to support his allegations, which have been dismissed by the Biden administration as a distraction from other issues.
Biden has responded to Trump's order by affirming that he made all the decisions during his presidency regarding pardons and executive actions. The use of an autopen is not illegal, and there is a precedent for its use in the signing of official documents, as long as the president approves of its use. In 2005, the Department of Justice issued a memo stating that the use of an autopen to sign a bill or other official documents is valid if the president has authorized it.
The investigation seems to be driven by political motives, as Trump and his supporters continue to challenge the legitimacy of the 2020 election results and look for ways to discredit the Biden administration. The use of autopen technology is a common practice and does not inherently imply any misconduct. The investigation is unlikely to find any legal basis for invalidating Biden's actions unless concrete evidence of unauthorized or illegal use is presented.
Forbes