DOJ Quietly Drops Biden Autopen Probe Trump Once Pushed For

In a major stumble for President Donald Trump's campaign to launch high-profile federal investigations against his political rivals, the Justice Department on March 5 abandoned a prospective case about the former President Joe Biden administration's use of an autopen. This came months after Trump demanded a wide-ranging investigation into the alleged use of autopen signatures that he said were being used to hide Biden's 'cognitive decline.'

The Republican-led House Oversight Committee that investigated Biden's use of an autopen claimed that some executive orders he signed with it were illegitimate. Ranking it among the ‘greatest scandals in American history’, committee chairman James Comer said, Biden's cognitive decline meant that he did not know about the pardons he signed.

According to The Independent, just before Biden's presidency ended, he had pardoned five members of his family, saying he wanted to protect them from future politically motivated investigations. The pardons went to Biden's siblings, James Biden, Frank Biden, and Valerie Biden Owens, as well as their spouses, John Owens and Sara Biden. Biden, on December 1, pardoned his son Hunter Biden, who had pleaded guilty to tax violations and was convicted on firearms-related charges.

Following this, the Justice Department was reportedly instructed by the Trump administration to investigate the clemency decisions Biden made in the final months of his presidency.

According to The Independent, in a November 2025 social media post, President Donald Trump threatened to terminate every document Joe Biden signed with an autopen. "Any document signed by Sleepy Joe Biden with the Autopen, which was approximately 92% of them, is hereby terminated, and of no further force or effect," Trump said on Truth Social. "The Autopen is not allowed to be used if the President of the United States does not specifically give approval."

"I am hereby cancelling all Executive Orders, and anything else that was not directly signed by Crooked Joe Biden, because the people who operated the Autopen did so illegally. Joe Biden was not involved in the Autopen process and, if he says he was, he will be brought up on charges of perjury," Trump said.

Reacting to the allegations, former President Joe Biden said, "Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency."

"I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations," Biden said.

"Any suggestion that I didn't is ridiculous and false," Biden added.

In a twisted move, President Donald Trump used a snapshot of an autopen captured in the act of signing Biden's name in the "wall of fame" depicting all 46 people who have served as president, along a hallway between the White House residence and the West Wing.

An autopen is a device that automatically affixes a signature to a document. The Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel has determined that using an autopen to sign presidential documents is legally binding, provided the president has authorised its use.

According to NBC News, President Donald Trump has directed the Justice Department to investigate several of his political foes since his return to office, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. However, none were found guilty of any criminal charges. It also issued criminal subpoenas in January to various state and local government offices in Minnesota, claiming they conspired to impede law enforcement during its immigration operations there.