{"id":2576723,"date":"2026-03-05T21:38:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T02:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-autopen-investigation-has-not-closed-doj-officials-say\/"},"modified":"2026-03-05T21:41:34","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T02:41:34","slug":"biden-autopen-investigation-has-not-closed-doj-officials-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-autopen-investigation-has-not-closed-doj-officials-say\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden autopen investigation has not closed, DOJ officials say"},"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%2Fbiden-autopen-investigation-has-not-closed-doj-officials-say%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=2576723&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>A DOJ official said the autopen examination into Biden aides remains active, countering reports that prosecutors had closed it without charges. The inquiry is examining whether aides improperly used the autopen during periods when the president\u2019s mental capacity was in question, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >potentially authorizing actions<\/a> without his full knowledge. The focus is on staff conduct rather than Biden personally.<\/p>\n<p>Key points:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The investigation centers on staff actions surrounding the autopen, not on whether the device itself is illegal.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; It draws on material reviewed by the Republican-led House Oversight Committee and has included transcribed interviews with former Biden aides such as Zients, Donilon, Ricchetti, Annie Tomasini, Anita Dunn, and neera Tanden; Tanden acknowledged she could authorize autopen use but denied wrongdoing.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Republicans have argued there may have been a lax chain-of-command that allowed improper execution of executive actions, and they have urged a broader DOJ look at all of Biden\u2019s executive actions, including pardons.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Biden has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/andrew-cuomos-office-wants-a-fresh-communications-director\/\" title=\"Andrew Cuomo\u2019s Office WANTS A FRESH Communications Director\">repeatedly denied wrongdoing<\/a>, stating that he made the decisions personally.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; the situation has been politically charged, with questions about late-career cognitive decline and the legality of actions taken via autopen, even as the autopen itself is commonly used in presidential administrations.  <\/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\">DOJ officials say Biden autopen investigation has not closed despite reports<\/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\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2523796\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The federal investigation into whether any of former President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\">Joe Biden&rsquo;s<\/a> aides mishandled his use of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/autopen\/page\/10\/\">autopen<\/a> has not been shelved, according to three sources within the Justice Department, pushing back <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4481327\/doj-closes-autopen-investigation-biden-aides\/\">on earlier reports<\/a> that the case had closed without any indictments.<\/p>\n<p>A senior <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\">Justice Department<\/a> official told the&nbsp;<em>Washington Examiner<\/em>&nbsp;on Thursday that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/south-dakota-ag-facing-three-misdemeanors-after-fatally-striking-pedestrian-along-highway\/\" title=\"South Dakota AG Facing Three Misdemeanors After Fatally Striking Pedestrian Along Highway\">investigation remains active<\/a>, contradicting a <span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">Wednesday&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/04\/us\/politics\/trump-biden-autopen.html\"><em>New York Times<\/em><\/a>&nbsp;repo<\/span>rt that claimed prosecutors were unable to identify potential criminal charges and had effectively dropped the matter.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4481992\/big-tech-lawsuit-trump-bondi-tiktok-deal\/\">Big Tech executives sue Trump and Bondi over TikTok deal<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4481674\/public-accepted-biden-fbi-surveil-trump-prosecution-sarah-bedford\/\">Public &#8216;largely accepted&#8217; Biden&#8217;s FBI was surveilling Trump campaign: Sarah Bedford<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4481380\/minneapolis-man-bribery-feeding-our-future-fraud\/\">Minneapolis man sentenced for bribery scheme in Feeding Our Future fraud trial<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Former President Joe Biden speaks to the South Carolina Democratic Party on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo\/Matt Kelley)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s the view of smart people that it was illegal to use an autopen,&rdquo; the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fncs-carlson-if-youre-looking-for-election-rigging-look-no-further-than-media-treatment-of-hunter-biden-saga\/\" title=\"FNC&#039;s Carlson: &#039;If You&#039;re Looking for Election Rigging, Look No Further&#039; Than Media Treatment of Hunter Biden Saga\">senior official<\/a> said, emphasizing that the investigation is not centered on whether the device itself is lawful. The Justice Department has long held that a president may use the autopen to approve official documents that require his signature.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, federal investigators are examining whether Biden aides may have improperly used the autopen during a time when the president&rsquo;s mental capacity was declining, potentially authorizing executive actions without his full knowledge or consent.<\/p>\n<p>The official said the investigation is focused on the conduct of staff members surrounding the former president, rather than on Biden himself.<\/p>\n<p>Investigators were said to be reviewing whether aides could have used the autopen for potential &ldquo;obstruction&rdquo; of the former president&rsquo;s intent, as well as whether they may have bypassed his authority in approving official actions using the device, according to the senior DOJ official.<\/p>\n<p>The official said &ldquo;it is not the case&rdquo; that prosecutors have been struggling to identify statutes that could support criminal charges and pushed back on the <em>Times&rsquo; <\/em>suggestion that investigators were looking into whether Biden himself broke the law.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, whose office in Washington, D.C., is overseeing the inquiry, declined to comment on the investigation&rsquo;s status.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We cannot comment on ongoing investigations <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Kme3i9BoOf\">https:\/\/t.co\/Kme3i9BoOf<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; US Attorney Pirro (@USAttyPirro) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/USAttyPirro\/status\/2029571846065041500?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 5, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    <\/p>\n<p>However, when pressed about why three sources reportedly told the <em>Times<\/em>&nbsp;the case had been closed, the senior DOJ official declined to address the discrepancy.<\/p>\n<p>The investigation has drawn in part on materials reviewed by the Republican-led House Committee on Oversight and Reform, which last year conducted interviews with several former <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/biden-administration\/\">Biden administration<\/a> aides as part of its own inquiry into the autopen&rsquo;s use.<\/p>\n<p>Biden aides who appeared for transcribed interviews included former White House chief of staff <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3865570\/house-gop-oversight-report-finds-biden-staffers-exercised-presidential-powers\/\">Jeff Zients<\/a>, former senior adviser <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3486969\/biden-aide-mike-donilon-house-oversight-autopen-investigation\/\">Mike Donilon<\/a>, former counselor <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3485144\/steve-ricchetti-biden-politburo-house-oversight-autopen-interview\/\">Steve Ricchetti<\/a>, former deputy chief of staff <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3474187\/deposition-video-annie-tomasini-fifth-house-oversight-biden-autopen\/\">Annie Tomasini<\/a>, former senior adviser <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3493221\/anita-dunn-arrives-house-testimony-biden-mental-decline-probe\/\">Anita Dunn<\/a>, and former domestic policy adviser <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3452415\/neera-tanden-house-oversight-committee-authorized-autopen\/\">Neera Tanden<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">Tanden was the&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3452415\/neera-tanden-house-oversight-committee-authorized-autopen\/\">first former staffer to admit&nbsp;<\/a>that she had the authority to authorize the clearance of the use of the autopen, but she denied any wrongdoing that misled the commander in chief.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house-republicans\/\">House Republicans<\/a> argued in a report that Biden&rsquo;s staff may have abused the autopen and operated it under a &ldquo;lax chain-of-command policy,&rdquo; raising questions about whether all Biden&rsquo;s executive actions were properly authorized.<\/p>\n<p>The committee asked the Justice Department to investigate &ldquo;all of former President Biden&rsquo;s executive actions, particularly clemency actions, to assess whether legal action must be taken to void any action that the former president did not, in fact, take himself.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Trump and other Republican lawmakers have scrutinized a series of pardons issued near the end of Biden&rsquo;s presidency, including clemency granted to several of his family members and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3258452\/biden-commutes-nearly-1500-sentences-record-use-pardon-power\/\">more than 1,500 federal criminal defendants<\/a> in a single day, arguing there was limited contemporaneous documentation confirming that Biden personally approved those decisions.<\/p>\n<p>Biden has strongly denied the allegations.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency,&rdquo; Biden said in a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4481327\/doj-closes-autopen-investigation-biden-aides\/\">statement<\/a> last year. &ldquo;I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn&rsquo;t is ridiculous and false.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4481327\/doj-closes-autopen-investigation-biden-aides\/\">DOJ QUIETLY CLOSES AUTOPEN INVESTIGATION TARGETING BIDEN AND AIDES<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The use of an autopen, a device that mechanically reproduces a person&rsquo;s signature, is not uncommon in the presidency and has been used by multiple administrations.<\/p>\n<p>Still, the issue became politically charged as concerns mounted about Biden&rsquo;s obvious cognitive decline late in his presidency, prompting congressional Republicans to call for an investigation into whether aides may have exercised authority that legally belonged to the president.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/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>DOJ: Biden autopen probe still active, not closed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2576724,"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\/2026\/03\/AP26059028002149.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[51873,3620,7076,3976,5894],"class_list":["post-2576723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-autopen","tag-biden","tag-doj","tag-investigation","tag-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26059028002149.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2576723","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=2576723"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2576723\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2576727,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2576723\/revisions\/2576727"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2576724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2576723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2576723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2576723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}