Biden's final pardons spark autopen controversy under scrutiny

Former President Joe Biden’s last-minute pardons have ignited a firestorm of debate over whether a machine, not a man, signed away potential prosecutions.

In a nutshell, Biden’s use of an autopen for preemptive pardons on his final day in office, approved by his chief of staff, Jeff Zients, has drawn sharp criticism from President Donald Trump, who’s now ordered a full investigation into the matter.

Let’s rewind to January 19, 2025, when Biden’s team was burning the midnight oil, hashing out a batch of preemptive pardons until nearly 10 p.m. These weren’t just any pardons—they were designed to shield high-profile figures like Anthony Fauci and Gen. Mark Milley from potential retribution under the incoming administration.

Unpacking late-night pardon marathon

By 10:03 p.m. that night, an aide had drafted an email summarizing the decisions, sending it to Zients’ assistant for review. Just 25 minutes later, the email was forwarded to Zients and White House deputy chief of staff Bruce Reed, seeking their green light.

At 10:31 p.m., Zients hit reply with a decisive nod: "I approve the use of the autopen" for these pardons, as reported by the New York Times. Well, isn’t that a handy shortcut—relying on a machine to replicate a signature while the clock ticks down on a presidency?

For those unfamiliar, an autopen is a nifty device that physically mimics a person’s signature, using any pen from ballpoint to marker. Biden didn’t personally sign off on every name in these broad pardons; instead, he approved the eligibility standards after lengthy talks, leaving the rest to his team—and apparently, to a robot scribe.

Trump calls foul

Fast forward to March 2025, when President Trump first raised the alarm, accusing Biden of using an autopen for clemency documents. By June, Trump escalated the issue with a memo to Attorney General Pam Bondi, ordering a probe into whether this mechanical signature was tied to concerns over Biden’s mental sharpness.

In that memo, Trump called it a "dangerous scandal," alleging the public was kept in the dark about who truly wielded executive power. A bit rich, perhaps, when Trump himself has admitted to using an autopen for letters, though a White House official insists he signs all binding documents by hand.

Speaking to reporters, Trump didn’t hold back, branding this "one of the biggest scandals" in decades. If true, it’s a fair question: Should a machine be the final word on something as weighty as a pardon?

Pardon numbers raise eyebrows

Let’s talk numbers—Biden granted a staggering 4,245 acts of clemency during his term, with 96% of them issued in the final months between October 2024 and January 2025. That’s a lot of mercy in a short window, and it’s no surprise eyebrows are raised over how many of those signatures were mechanical rather than manual.

Trump doubled down to reporters, saying he’s certain Biden "knew nothing" about what was signed. If accurate, it paints a troubling picture of a presidency potentially run by aides and algorithms, not the elected leader.

White House spokesperson Harrison Fields echoed Trump’s skepticism in an email to Fox News, warning that Biden’s team may have hidden the truth about who was really calling the shots. Fields added that this could be part of "the most egregious cover-up" in politics. That’s a heavy charge, but one that deserves a thorough look given the stakes.

Questions of trust and transparency

The broader issue here isn’t just about a fancy pen—it’s about trust in our institutions. If a president’s signature can be outsourced to a machine without clear oversight, what stops future administrations from automating even weightier decisions?

While Biden’s intent may have been to protect allies like Fauci and Milley from political payback, the method raises serious ethical concerns. Turns out, even well-meaning actions can backfire when they skirt the personal accountability we expect from our leaders.

As Trump’s investigation unfolds, Americans deserve answers about whether these autopen pardons hold legal water or if they’re just ink on a page. After all, justice shouldn’t come with a plug-in adapter, and neither should the presidency.