Joe Biden Breaks Silence on Autopen Pardons as Scandal Explodes
Former President Joe Biden addressed the use of an autopen, defending the practice that has drawn scrutiny from both Republican lawmakers and the current administration.
During an interview with The New York Times, which focused on the use of the autopen to authorize clemency for more than 1,500 individuals during the final weeks of his presidency, Biden said he personally made the decisions behind the clemency effort.
“We’re talking about [granting clemency to] a whole lot of people,” Biden said.
However, The Times reported that Biden “did not individually approve each name for the categorical pardons that applied to large numbers of people,” according to his aides.
The report said he “signed off on the standards he wanted to be used to determine which convicts would qualify for a reduction in sentence” after discussions about possible criteria.
New York Times: “Biden didn’t individually approve each name for the categorical pardons list… his staff ran the final version through the autopen” pic.twitter.com/jbETqJ8slL
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) July 14, 2025
White House aides implemented the criteria once approved, and the autopen was used to affix Biden’s signature to the final documents.
The decision to use the autopen was made to avoid having the president repeatedly sign updated versions of official paperwork, according to the report.
The use of the device has become the subject of scrutiny, with President Trump and others raising questions about how often it was used and whether it was appropriate.
Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to open a Department of Justice investigation into the use of the autopen last month.
In a memo sent to the DOJ, Trump questioned whether the use of the device was connected to concerns about Biden’s mental acuity.
“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,” Trump wrote.
“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 also addressed the issue with the media, saying he found the use of the autopen “inappropriate,” even though previous administrations have used it in limited instances.
“Usually, when they put documents in front of you, they’re important,” Trump said.
“Even if you’re signing ambassadorships or — and I consider that important — I think it’s inappropriate.”
“You have somebody that’s devoting four years of their life or more to being an ambassador. I think that person deserves to get a real signature… not an autopen signature.”
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