Biden Says He Had To Use Autopen Because He Simply Granted Too Many Pardons
Share
Former President Joe Biden told the New York Times that he granted his staff the use of his autopen because he “had granted clemency to so many people.”
For the first time in an interview with the NYT, Biden addressed House Republican and the Trump administration’s investigations into his alleged use of the autopen to sign various documents while in the White House. The former president told the outlet that he personally approved all of the pardons and commutations at the end of his term but had directed his staff to use the autopen on clemency warrants because “we’re talking about a whole lot of people.”
“I made every decision,” Biden told the NYT of the 25 pardons and commutations in which the autopen was used from December 2024 to January 2025. (RELATED: Biden Lets Cop Killer, Dangerous Criminals Walk Free In Last-Minute Clemency Action)
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers a farewell Address to the Nation from the Oval Office while (from left to right) U.S. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. First Lady Jill Biden, son Hunter Biden listen on at the White House on January 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
Biden also addressed the pardons he made for prominent figures like his family or Gen. Mark A. Milley and Dr. Anthony Fauci. The former president only signed one pardon with his own hand from December to January and it was for his son Hunter Biden. The former president told the outlet that he addressed each “high-profile pardon” personally with his aides.
“Everybody knows how vindictive he is, so we knew that they’d do what they’re doing now,” Biden told the outlet, saying he wanted to shield his family from large legal bills fighting potential cases.
“I consciously made all those decisions,” he added.
The NYT also reviewed dozens of emails given over to the Trump administration and the Department of Justice as a part of their investigation into the use of the autopen during the Biden presidency. The outlet did not review the entirety of the emails from November 2024 through Jan. 20, 2025.
Of the dozens of emails reviewed, the NYT found that the former president’s staff had a process to assure that Biden gave verbal approval of the use of the autopen, which was used by his staff secretary, Stefanie Feldman. Aides who had participated in verbal meetings with the former president when he gave permission for such to be used would draft emails of the accounts, according to the NYT. Some of those senior staffers included former chief of staff, Jeffrey D. Zients, and White House counsel Ed Siskel.
“At the Jan. 19 meeting, which took place in the Yellow Oval Room of the White House residence, Mr. Biden kept his aides until nearly 10 p.m. to talk through such decisions, according to people familiar with the matter,” the NYT wrote.
“The emails show that an aide to Mr. Siskel sent a draft summary of Mr. Biden’s decisions at that meeting to an assistant to Mr. Zients, copying Mr. Siskel, at 10:03 p.m. The assistant forwarded it to Mr. Reed and Mr. Zients, asking for their approval, and then sent a final version to Ms. Feldman — copying many meeting participants and aides — at 10:28 p.m,” the reporting continues.
US President Joe Biden clasps his hands as he delivers his farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office of the White House on January 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mandel Ngan – Pool/Getty Images)
Towards the end of his administration when Biden granted clemency and pardons in large batches, the former president didn’t personally approve each name but signed off on criteria and standards for such, the emails show, according to the NYT report. Communications on such had to be run by the former president before being sent out, the NYT reported. One email showed that Biden requested a tweak on one press release, according to the NYT.
In another instance, small changes were made or names were added to the list but Biden wasn’t notified of each adjustment, the NYT reported. Instead, his staff would run the final version through the autopen, rather than asking Biden’s permission on each change, an aide told the NYT. Such a procedure was routine, the source added.
Throughout his presidency, Trump has been skeptical of Biden’s use of the autopen and whether he knew about the orders being pushed out by his administration.
“Joe Biden was not for Open Borders, he never talked about Open Borders, where criminals of all kinds, shapes, and sizes, can flow into our Country at will,” Trump wrote in a May TruthSocial post. “It wasn’t his idea to Open the Border, and almost destroy our Country, and cost us Hundreds of Billions of Dollars to get criminals out of our Country, and go through the process we are going through now. It was the people that knew he was cognitively impaired, and that took over the Autopen. They stole the Presidency of the United States, and put us in Great Danger.”
“This is TREASON at the Highest Level! They did it to destroy our Country. The Joe Biden that everybody knew would never allow drug dealers, gang members, and the mentally insane to come into our Country totally unchecked and unvetted. All anyone has to do is look up his record,” he continued. “Something very severe should happen to these Treasonous Thugs that wanted to destroy our Country, but couldn’t, because I came along. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Continue Reading at The Daily Caller.
