{"id":2463066,"date":"2025-07-17T15:37:02","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T19:37:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/comer-expands-biden-autopen-investigation-with-more-witness-interviews\/"},"modified":"2025-07-17T15:39:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T19:39:08","slug":"comer-expands-biden-autopen-investigation-with-more-witness-interviews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/comer-expands-biden-autopen-investigation-with-more-witness-interviews\/","title":{"rendered":"Comer expands Biden autopen investigation with more witness interviews"},"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\">18<\/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%2Fcomer-expands-biden-autopen-investigation-with-more-witness-interviews%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=2463066&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>The House Oversight Committee, led by Rep.James Comer (R-KY), has expanded its inquiry into former President Joe Biden&#8217;s cognitive fitness adn the reported use of an autopen device to sign high-level executive actions, including mass pardons. The committee plans to interview four senior Biden aides-Ian Sams, Andrew Bates, Karine Jean-Pierre, and Jeff Zients-who were involved with communications or policy related to executive clemency near the end of Biden&#8217;s presidency.A recent New York Times report revealed that Biden&#8217;s White House staff coordinated pardons using predetermined criteria without Biden personally reviewing each case, with final approvals involving senior aides and an autopen signature. the investigation is probing whether these actions bypassed constitutional processes and if Biden was mentally capable during this time. Several former aides have been interviewed, while others have invoked the Fifth amendment or withdrawn from voluntary testimony. The inquiry has drawn attention and criticism from Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, who has called for further investigations into the legitimacy of some pardons.  <\/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\">Comer expands Biden autopen investigation with more witness interviews<\/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_2175505\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house-oversight-committee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">House Oversight Committee<\/a> on Thursday expanded its investigation into former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Joe Biden<\/a>&lsquo;s cognitive decline and the use of an&nbsp;autopen&nbsp;to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >authorize high-level executive actions<\/a>, adding four more transcribed interviews with senior Biden aides to its schedule this fall.<\/p>\n<p>The committee, chaired by Rep.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/james-comer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">James Comer<\/a>&nbsp;(R-KY), has scheduled interviews with Ian Sams, Andrew Bates,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/karine-jean-pierre\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Karine Jean-Pierre<\/a>, and&nbsp;Jeff Zients, according to a committee aide. All four officials held top White House posts during the final months of the Biden presidency and were involved in either communications or policy implementation tied to clemency and other executive actions.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3472133\/house-lawmakers-immigration-reform-dignity-act\/\">House lawmakers make urgent plea to pass immigration reform with Dignity Act<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3474415\/russia-jfk-assassination-files-kgb-anna-paulina-luna\/\">Russia to release JFK assassination files from Soviet-era KGB: Anna Paulina Luna<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3474044\/elissa-slotkin-immigration-gop-anti-immigrant\/\">Slotkin accuses GOP of &#8216;anti-immigrant hate&#8217; before espousing right-wing migrant argument<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rep. James Comer (R-KY) addresses Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell as she testifies in front of a House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing on oversight of FEMA on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo\/Ben Curtis)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Sams, formerly a special assistant to the president and senior adviser in the White House Counsel&rsquo;s Office, is set to appear on Aug. 21. Bates, who served as deputy assistant to Biden and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-new-trump-nazi-lie\/\" title=\"The Latest False Claim by Trump\">senior deputy press secretary<\/a>, will be interviewed on Sept. 5. Jean-Pierre, Biden&rsquo;s former press secretary, is scheduled for Sept. 12, followed by Zients, Biden&rsquo;s final chief of staff, on Sept. 18.<\/p>\n<p>A <em>New York<\/em> <em>Times <\/em>report <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3470261\/biden-staff-approved-mass-last-minute-pardons-with-autopen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published earlier this week<\/a> suggested the Biden White House relied on a complicated web of aides to carry out mass pardons by applying predetermined eligibility criteria that Biden said he approved in advance, rather than having the former president review each case individually. According to internal communications obtained by the outlet, the process involved lower-level staff preparing clemency recommendations based on those criteria, which were then approved by senior officials, including Zients and former White House Counsel Ed Siskel, before being sent to former White House Staff Secretary Stefanie Feldman for final sign-off and autopen execution.<\/p>\n<p>While the report indicated that Biden said he participated in meetings about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-will-hear-boston-marathon-bomber-execution-case\/\" title=\"Supreme Court Will Hear Boston Marathon Bomber Execution Case\">high-profile cases<\/a>, including the pardons of his chief medical adviser,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/anthony-fauci\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Anthony Fauci<\/a>,&nbsp;and&nbsp;former Gen. Mark Milley, Biden confirmed that he signed only one clemency warrant during his presidency: a December 2024 pardon for his son,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hunter-biden\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hunter Biden<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The committee has heard from several former Biden aides in closed-door interviews, including&nbsp;Neera Tanden, Ronald Klain, Steve Ricchetti, Mike Donilon, Ashley Williams, Bruce Reed, and&nbsp;Anita Dunn. Three witnesses, Dr. Kevin O&rsquo;Connor, Anthony Bernal, and Annie Tomasini, have been subpoenaed. O&rsquo;Connor and Bernal&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fifth-amendment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pleaded the Fifth<\/a>&nbsp;during depositions earlier this month, while Tomasini, earlier this week, backed out of her previous plans to answer the committee&rsquo;s questions voluntarily on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>The investigation centers on whether Biden&rsquo;s inner circle circumvented constitutional requirements by authorizing executive actions without his direct involvement, and whether those decisions were made while Biden was not mentally competent enough to approve them.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans&rsquo; concerns stem from various incidents throughout Biden&rsquo;s presidency in which staff carefully guarded him from the press, guided him on where he needed to walk, and provided him detailed notes on how to handle the press, as well as his disastrous debate with then-candidate Donald Trump last summer, during which Biden stumbled over his words and failed to string together cogent sentences.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3470261\/biden-staff-approved-mass-last-minute-pardons-with-autopen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>BIDEN&rsquo;S STAFF APPROVED MASS LAST-MINUTE PARDONS WITH AUTOPEN<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Comer has framed the matter as one of the most serious constitutional scandals in modern history, citing concerns over the lack of transparency and the possible invalidity of presidential actions.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> Trump<\/a>&nbsp;has echoed those concerns and ordered&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pam-bondi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Attorney General Pam Bondi<\/a>&nbsp;to investigate whether certain clemency grants should be considered null and void.<\/p>\n<p>Though emails published by the&nbsp;<em>New York Times<\/em>&nbsp;outline some of the process, much of the Biden White House&rsquo;s internal correspondence remains under wraps. The Senate investigative subcommittee is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3471837\/ron-johnson-biden-pardon-emails-investigation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">seeking access to thousands of additional emails <\/a>referenced in that reporting.<\/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_2175505\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2175505\"}});<\/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>Comer broadens Biden autopen probe with more witness interviews<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2463069,"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\/biden-pardons.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[55402,7734,3976,5894,59348],"class_list":["post-2463066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-biden-autopen","tag-comer","tag-investigation","tag-politics","tag-witness-interviews"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/biden-pardons.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2463066","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=2463066"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2463066\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2463071,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2463066\/revisions\/2463071"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2463069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2463066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2463066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2463066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}