Axios published an exclusive report over the weekend, revealing that even some officials within the Biden administration were alarmed over the out-of-control use of the “autopen” to issue pardons before Biden left office.
The article titled, “Biden officials raised concerns with how he issued pardons, used autopen,” begins as follows:
High-ranking Biden administration officials repeatedly questioned and criticized how the president’s team decided on controversial pardons and allowed the frequent use of an autopen to sign measures late in his term, internal emails obtained by Axios show.
Why it matters: The messages are the latest signs of the chaos surrounding the 82-year-old former president during the final weeks of his administration, in two areas that are now being investigated by the Republican-led House Oversight Committee.
Axios further wrote:
After the political backlash to President Biden pardoning his son Hunter last Dec. 1, the White House began pushing to find more people to grant clemency to, according to people familiar with the internal dynamics.
“There was a mad dash to find groups of people that he could then pardon — and then they largely didn’t run it by the Justice Department to vet them,” a person familiar with the process told Axios.
Biden granted clemency to more people than any president in U.S. history — 4,245 people. More than 95% of those actions occurred in the final 3½ months of his presidency, according to Pew Research.
Many of those actions, including pardoning other members of his family on his last day in office, were signed using an autopen — a computerized version of the president’s signature that didn’t require him to physically sign the document.
President Donald Trump responded in a post on Truth Social early Monday morning. He wrote:
“THE BIDEN AUTOPEN SCANDAL IS BIG, NOT AS BIG AS THE RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA HOAX, OR THE RIGGED 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, BUT, NEVERTHELESS, ONE OF THE BIGGEST, EVER!!!”
More from Fox News: House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said his panel is wrapping up its investigation into President Joe Biden’s use of the autopen after a new report revealed concerns raised within the former administration itself.
“New records reveal President Biden’s own administration raised concerns about autopen use to grant thousands of pardons. This is a historic scandal with massive repercussions,” Comer told Fox News Digital in response to the Axios report.
“As President Biden declined, his aides carried out executive actions without his approval, casting doubt on the legitimacy of thousands of pardons and other executive actions.”
Comer added, “The House Oversight Committee is in the final stages of its investigation. There must be accountability for this scandal.”
“Under Joe Biden, America didn’t have a President. America had an autopen,” Comer quipped.
Under Joe Biden, America didn’t have a President. America had an autopen.
📺 Joining @FoxNews this morning with @BillHemmer and @DanaPerino at 10:40amET. Tune in!
— Rep. James Comer (@RepJamesComer) September 8, 2025
BREAKING: Biden’s staff was unsure if he had approved thousands of last-minute pardons.
“When did we get [Biden’s] approval of this?” asked the staff secretary in an email.
Zients faces the Committee on Sept 18. Stay tuned for more. https://t.co/xB9bATq7UY
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) September 6, 2025
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