Federal authorities probe Biden's application of autopen for executive actions

The House Oversight Committee is currently investigating the use of the autopen by President Joe Biden during his presidency, particularly in relation to pardon and clemency documents. This investigation comes after Biden granted more acts of clemency than any other president, according to the Pew Research Center.

The committee is focusing on the legal documents used with the autopen, as stated by Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., and House Oversight Committee Chairman. The Biden White House has memos related to policies regarding pardons and clemency, one of which from February 2021 lists "pardon letters" among documents requiring the president's personal approval and hand-signature.

Former Senior Biden Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates and former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre are scheduled to testify before the committee in the coming weeks. Both Bates and Jean-Pierre, along with Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, are expected to address the committee's inquiries regarding the use of the autopen during Biden's presidency.

Bates has already made his stance clear, condemning the committee's investigation in an opening statement. He asserted that the committee should instead be focusing on controversies from the Trump administration. Similarly, Bates criticized the committee for not investigating issues related to Biden's mass clemencies for drug offenses and pre-emptive pardons for some family members.

John P. Fishwick Jr., a former U.S. Attorney, stated that proving Biden didn't approve of his pardons could be tough, given the legal precedent for using an autopen for presidential actions, which is, in fact, legal. Biden himself has stated that he made every decision and used an autopen on the warrants due to their volume.

It's important to note that Bates asserted that Biden was in charge of the White House. However, there are no available details in the provided search results about what the House Committee will specifically inquire from Bates and Jean-Pierre regarding the use of the autopen during Biden's presidency.

The House Oversight Committee's investigation into the use of the autopen from the prior administration is ongoing. Comer also stated that he hasn't seen anything to suggest that President Joe Biden knew what was going on regarding the use of the autopen.

This investigation adds another layer to the ongoing debate surrounding the use of the autopen in presidential actions and the extent of personal involvement required in such decisions. The outcomes of the forthcoming testimonies from Bates, Jean-Pierre, and Zients are eagerly awaited by both supporters and critics of the Biden administration.