Sen. Hawley Demands Biden Release Autopen Consent Records or Face Subpoena

Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) has demanded that President Joe Biden release internal records confirming whether he personally authorized the use of an autopen to sign pardons, clemency grants, and executive orders, amid allegations that the device was frequently used even when Biden was physically present in Washington, D.C. Hawley pressed expert witness Theodore Wold during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, emphasizing that the standard White House procedure requires documented presidential consent for autopen use, and warned that failure to provide such records could lead to a congressional subpoena. The Oversight Project, a conservative watchdog group, revealed that Biden employed at least three different autopen signatures during his presidency, including on dates when Biden was actively signing documents by hand. Hawley criticized Democrats for not attending the hearing and accused them of covering up concerns about Biden's mental fitness, reiterating his call for transparency and accountability. The senator characterized the issue as a binary question of whether Biden authorized the autopen, urging Biden and his staff to release all relevant documents to dispel doubts about the legality and legitimacy of the autopen's use. If Biden refuses, Hawley stated that the Senate should use subpoena powers to uncover the truth about who was truly managing the White House.