Former President Donald Trump has raised serious concerns about the legitimacy of executive orders and pardons signed using President Joe Biden’s autopen. Trump claims Biden lacked awareness and involvement in these decisions due to his alleged mental decline, calling the pardons “VOID” and accusing those who orchestrated them of potentially criminal behavior. He specifically targeted high-profile figures such as Liz Cheney, Hunter Biden, Dr. Fauci, and General Mark Milley, who were reportedly among those pardoned.

The controversy intensified after former Biden official Neera Tanden admitted during closed-door testimony that she controlled the autopen from October 2021 to May 2023. Tanden stated she had authority to use and direct the autopen without direct confirmation from Biden for each action. Though she denied wrongdoing, her admission raised questions about who was truly making key executive decisions in the White House.

Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO), chair of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, called the situation one of the “most damning scandals” in U.S. history. He has initiated a “special access request” under the Presidential Records Act to obtain sealed autopen records from the Biden administration. Schmitt emphasized the need to determine what went wrong and who was actually running the government.

Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) also named five Biden aides as key figures in what he describes as a coordinated effort to hide Biden’s cognitive decline. The use of the autopen has become central to the investigation.

This unfolding scandal could have major implications for executive authority, transparency, and constitutional oversight in future administrations.