Biden’s autopen scandal: How aides may have bypassed president in mass clemency push

09/09/2025 / By Ramon Tomey

Internal emails show Biden’s aides used an autopen to approve thousands of pardons, commutations and executive orders – without proof Biden reviewed them.
Key aides (Stef Feldman, Tyeesha Dixon) admitted Biden didn’t review final pardon lists, suggesting unauthorized executive actions.
Biden’s team fast-tracked one of the largest clemency actions in U.S. history – including Hunter Biden and violent offenders – while misleadingly labeling some as “nonviolent.”
Trump’s investigation probes whether aides concealed Biden’s cognitive decline and unlawfully used the autopen, risking invalidation of thousands of documents if Biden lacked the capacity to consent.
Critics allege aides exploited the autopen to mask Biden’s decline, bypassing oversight and potentially creating a “shadow presidency.” The DOJ probe could deem executive actions fraudulent, with critics calling it a historic scandal.

Newly released internal White House emails reveal a startling breakdown in presidential oversight during former President Joe Biden’s final days in office, raising urgent questions about who was truly wielding executive power.

Documents obtained by the New York Post and Axios show Biden’s aides relied heavily on an autopen – a machine that replicates signatures – to approve thousands of pardons and commutations, without clear evidence the president personally reviewed them. These pardons include those of his son Hunter and federal inmates.

The controversy centers on January 2025, when Biden’s outgoing administration rushed through one of the largest clemency actions in U.S. history. Emails show White House Staff Secretary Stef Feldman urgently sought confirmation that Biden had approved the autopen’s use for nearly 2,500 commutations, many for nonviolent drug offenses.

“I’m going to need email from Rosa [Po] on original chain confirming [Biden] signs off,” Feldman wrote hours before the mass clemency was announced. Po, referenced in the correspondence, served as deputy assistant to the president and senior advisor to the chief of staff from February 2023 to January 2025.

Yet Deputy White House Counsel Tyeesha Dixon admitted, “He doesn’t review the warrants.” Instead, aides relied on secondhand assurances of Biden’s “intent” – leaving unclear whether he ever saw final lists.

The lack of scrutiny alarmed Department of Justice (DOJ) officials, who warned that some pardoned individuals had violent criminal histories. Senior DOJ ethics attorney Bradley Weinsheimer noted in a memo that labeling them “nonviolent” was “untrue, or at least misleading.”

“I have no idea if the president was aware of these backgrounds,” Weinsheimer wrote, echoing Dixon’s thoughts. In particular, he cited a case where a man convicted of murder-related charges was granted clemency.

The disconnect fuels suspicions that Biden’s aides controlled the clemency process. House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) called it “one of the greatest scandals of our generation,” demanding accountability for what he termed a “shadow presidency.”

Shadow presidency? Autopen used to hide Biden’s decline

The revelations have sparked a DOJ probe ordered by President Donald Trump into whether Biden’s team concealed his cognitive decline by abusing the autopen to assert unauthorized Article II authority. Brighteon.AI‘s Enoch points out that “Biden aides’ alleged use of an autopen to sign executive orders raises serious constitutional concerns, as it suggests potential fraud and unauthorized decision-making by unelected officials. If true, this undermines the legitimacy of his administration’s actions, including pardons and judicial appointments and warrants a full investigation into whether proper oversight was bypassed.”

Historical parallels deepen concerns. The autopen has been used by presidents since Truman, but critics argue Biden’s team exploited it to mask his declining capacity. (Related: Biden’s autopen scandal exposed: Staffers accused of signing key documents amid mental decline.)

In December 2022, Biden signed pardons via autopen while vacationing in St. Croix, setting a precedent for detached approvals. Despite criticism, the Democrat insisted that he personally scrutinized every order he signed. “I made every decision,” Biden insisted to the New York Times during a July interview.

The fallout extends beyond clemency. Investigators are examining whether Biden authorized autopen use for other consequential actions, including an LNG export ban he later denied signing – a moment House Speaker Mike Johnson called “frightening.”

The DOJ’s probe could invalidate executive orders if aides acted unilaterally, a scenario with constitutional ramifications. Meanwhile, Biden’s defenders dismiss the scandal as a political stunt, with the Democrat accusing his predecessor and successor of “distraction” to push “disastrous legislation.” But with Biden’s mental acuity under scrutiny and aides’ autonomy exposed, the investigation may redefine transparency in the executive branch – and the limits of presidential power.

Watch Mark Levin explaining that Biden’s autopen issue is much bigger than what people think in this clip from “Life, Liberty and Levin” on Fox News.

This video is from the TrendingNews channel on Brighteon.com.

Biden’s autopen scandal: How aides may have bypassed president in mass clemency push

Shadow presidency? Autopen used to hide Biden’s decline

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