{"id":2435643,"date":"2025-05-16T14:27:08","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T18:27:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/james-comer-says-house-investigating-bidens-autopen-use-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-05-16T14:28:33","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T18:28:33","slug":"james-comer-says-house-investigating-bidens-autopen-use-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/james-comer-says-house-investigating-bidens-autopen-use-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"James Comer says House investigating Biden\u2019s autopen use &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjames-comer-says-house-investigating-bidens-autopen-use-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2435643&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>House Oversight Committee Chairman James comer has announced that his committee is investigating teh use of an autopen by former President Joe Biden to issue controversial last-minute pardons. Comer indicated that they have identified a staff member who operated the autopen during this process, questioning Biden&#8217;s mental fitness to authorize its use, especially given concerns about his cognitive health at the time. The investigation is particularly focused on whether Biden was capable of granting these pardons himself or if they were done by aides acting on his behalf. While autopens have been used by past presidents,including Barack Obama,the legality of their use for pardons has never been thoroughly tested in court,leading to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-eviction-moratorium-likely-unlawful-and-will-almost-certainly-be-challenged-in-court-legal-experts-say\/\" title=\"... Eviction Moratorium \u2018Likely Unlawful\u2019 And Will \u2018Almost Certainly\u2019 Be Challenged In ..., Legal Experts Say\">potential constitutional issues<\/a>,especially concerning blanket pardons. Comer also revealed ongoing discussions among House Republicans about amending the Constitution to prevent presidents from pardoning themselves or family members. The inquiry follows rising controversy linked to Biden&#8217;s clemency actions, which included pardons for close relatives and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/twitter-trending-minimizes-heroic-anti-tyranny-cuban-protests-people-helping-to-spread-awareness-of-covid-impact\/\" title=\"Twitter Trending Minimizes Heroic Anti-Tyranny Cuban Protests: People \u2018Helping To Spread Awareness\u2019 Of COVID Impact\">notable political figures<\/a>. Critics have raised concerns about Biden&#8217;s ability to authorize such actions, given reports regarding his diminishing cognitive capabilities.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">James Comer says House investigating Biden&rsquo;s autopen use<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2123806\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>House Oversight Committee Chairman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/james-comer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"James Comer\">James Comer<\/a> (R-KY) revealed Friday that his committee is investigating former President Joe Biden&rsquo;s use of an autopen to issue controversial last-minute pardons.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;So our newest investigation at Oversight Committee is we&rsquo;re investigating the autopen, and I think we&rsquo;ve identified the staffer&rdquo; who operated it, Comer said during a speech at the Republican National Lawyers Association&rsquo;s policy conference in Washington.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3414042\/san-francisco-public-defender-says-caseload-is-too-heavy-will-scale-back-service\/\">San Francisco public defender says caseload is too heavy, will scale back service<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3413869\/pope-leo-orthodoxy-diplomats-truth-justice-peace\/\">Pope Leo XIV signals orthodoxy to diplomats, urges &#8216;truth, justice and peace&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3414052\/five-republicans-vote-no-house-budget-bill\/\">Five Republicans vote &lsquo;no&rsquo; on bringing reconciliation bill out of committee<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The committee&rsquo;s inquiry centers on whether Biden, who was in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/2-vietnams-8-pearl-harbors-and-10-september-11s-more-than-165k-americans-dead-from-covid-in-bidens-first-100-days\/\" title=\"2 Vietnams, 8 Pearl Harbors, and 10 September 11s: More Than 165K Americans Dead From COVID in ...\u2019s First 100 Days\">declining cognitive health<\/a> during his final months in office, was mentally fit to authorize the use of the device to place his signature on documents or whether senior aides issued pardons on his behalf.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If what we think is going to play out on the autopen [investigation], it&rsquo;s going to create a strong case on the pardons,&rdquo; Comer said.<\/p>\n<p>Although the autopen has been used by presidents for decades, including by former President Barack Obama to extend the Patriot Act in 2011, the matter has never been tested in court when applied to pardons. A 2005 Justice Department opinion concluded a president could direct someone else to sign on his behalf, but a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >federal appeals court ruled<\/a> last year that pardons don&rsquo;t even require a written form to be valid.<\/p>\n<p>Still, legal experts say some aspects of the last-minute pardons, such as Biden&rsquo;s blanket pardon for his son Hunter Biden, could raise constitutional questions.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;A blanket pardon might be problematic because it&rsquo;s not clear what you&rsquo;re pardoning somebody for,&rdquo; Case Western Reserve University law professor Jonathan Adler previously told the&nbsp;<em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to the&nbsp;<em>Washington Examiner<\/em>&nbsp;after the event, Comer added, &ldquo;We just are trying to figure out who gave the orders, if anybody gave the orders,&rdquo; to use the autopen on the pardons.<\/p>\n<p>During a Q&amp;A with the audience, Comer confirmed that House Republicans have engaged in conversations about amending the Constitution to preclude presidents from pardoning themselves or their families.&nbsp;Comer noted that he&rsquo;s spoken with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) recently about the possibility.<\/p>\n<p>The announcement builds on a controversy that gained steam in March, when President Donald Trump and his allies raised alarms about Biden&rsquo;s final clemency orders. Trump claimed that because many of the pardons were signed with an autopen, they are &ldquo;VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/daily-memo\/3413767\/byron-york-james-comey-trump-8647\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"BYRON YORK: COMEY, TRUMP, AND '8647'\">BYRON YORK: COMEY, TRUMP, AND &lsquo;8647&rsquo;<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Among the recipients of Biden&rsquo;s last-minute clemency grants were close family members, including his brothers, James B. Biden and Francis W. Biden, sister-in-law Sara Jones Biden, sister Valerie Biden Owens, and brother-in-law John T. Owens, as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ivan-sascha-sheehan-opposition-protests-in-iran-look-to-the-future-not-the-past\/\" title=\"Ivan Sascha Sheehan: Opposition Protests in Iran Look to the Future, Not the Past\">high-profile political figures<\/a> such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley, and former Jan. 6 Committee members Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger.<\/p>\n<p>While some legal&nbsp;experts have defended the legitimacy of the autopen process,&nbsp;critics argue Biden may not have been in a position to authorize its use. Concerns over Biden&rsquo;s physical and mental state were elevated this week ahead of the release of&nbsp;<em>Original Sin<\/em>, a book by CNN&rsquo;s Jake Tapper and <em>Axios&rsquo;s<\/em> Alex Thompson, which reports that top aides worked to conceal Biden&rsquo;s deteriorating cognitive abilities from the public.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2123806\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2123806\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>James Comer announces House probe into Biden&#8217;s autopen use<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2435644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Comer-on-Biden-Family-scaled-1024x683.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[55402,38729,40726,32603,32076],"class_list":["post-2435643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-biden-autopen","tag-house-investigation","tag-james-comer","tag-political-news","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Comer-on-Biden-Family-scaled-1024x683.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2435643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2435643"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2435643\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2435647,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2435643\/revisions\/2435647"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2435644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2435643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2435643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2435643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}