President Donald Trump has ordered a comprehensive investigation into former President Joe Biden’s use of an autopen to sign critical documents during his time in office — a probe that now spans over one million documents and raises serious questions about executive oversight, presidential health, and legal legitimacy.
According to officials who spoke with Fox News, the White House Counsel’s Office is leading the investigation, with support from the Department of Justice, as thousands of documents continue to be reviewed in coordination with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). NARA has already handed over more than 27,000 records, with hundreds of thousands more expected.
“The president’s signature is one of the most important signatures in the world,” a senior official said, highlighting the unprecedented scope and gravity of the inquiry. “Was the autopen inappropriately used? That’s what we intend to find out.”
An autopen is a mechanical device designed to replicate a signature with precision. It is legally permissible for routine or ceremonial documents — but its use on pardons, executive orders, and other high-stakes legal instruments without personal review or authorization has triggered alarm inside the current administration.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt did not mince words in her statement: “Joe Biden was the worst, most incompetent, and senile president in our country’s history. It has been widely reported that Joe Biden handed the power of the presidency to an autopen controlled by unelected leftist staffers, who were allowed to make terrible decisions that destroyed our country.”
The most explosive claim under review stems from a report by the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project, which alleges that virtually every official Biden document — except his 2024 withdrawal letter — bears an autopen signature. The implication is significant: If confirmed, it suggests critical decisions may have been made without the direct involvement of the sitting president.
Among the most controversial documents under review are a series of last-minute pardons Biden issued before leaving office. These include preemptive clemency for Dr. Anthony Fauci, General Mark Milley, and members of the January 6 Committee — all of whom have faced allegations ranging from lying to Congress, destruction of evidence, to undermining U.S. foreign policy.
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has referred Fauci to the DOJ for criminal prosecution and questioned the legality of a pardon that may have been authorized by staff — not the president himself. Milley, for his part, admitted to unauthorized communications with China during Trump’s presidency, actions widely viewed as a breach of military protocol and possibly the law.
The investigation is expected to take months, if not longer. Its findings could reshape how executive authority is interpreted and executed — and whether future administrations must place stricter guardrails around tools like the autopen.
