Republicans are seizing on former President Joe Biden’s recent New York Times interview, in which he offered a murky defense of his final-week pardons — including those for Dr. Anthony Fauci, former Rep. Liz Cheney, and even members of his own family. The remarks are fueling a deepening controversy over whether top White House aides, not Biden himself, used the presidential autopen to issue sweeping clemency without his direct oversight.
In the interview, Biden asserted that he “approved every pardon,” yet simultaneously admitted that he “did not individually approve” the specific names. Instead, he said he approved the criteria under which the pardons were granted — a statement that is already drawing fire from GOP lawmakers and watchdogs.
The controversy centers on Biden’s apparent detachment from critical decisions during his final days in office, especially amid long-standing concerns over his cognitive condition. Of particular concern are high-profile and politically sensitive pardons — including those for his son, Hunter Biden, who had been convicted on tax and gun charges — as well as sweeping commutations for 37 of the 40 inmates on federal death row.
The Times report confirmed that rather than seek Biden’s signature on each individual clemency warrant, his staff compiled final versions of approved cases and ran them through the autopen — a mechanical device that replicates the president’s signature — which Chief of Staff Jeff Zients reportedly authorized as “routine.”
Republicans are not convinced. “Every Democrat in Washington better get asked about this tomorrow,” GOP strategist Matt Whitlock posted Sunday. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) vowed to continue investigating what he called “this historic scandal” to prevent future abuses of executive authority.
Former President Donald Trump has also weighed in, questioning whether Biden even knew his name was being applied to major policy documents, including executive orders expanding asylum protections. “I don’t think he knew,” Trump said. “Who was operating the autopen? Radical left lunatics were running our country.”
Scrutiny has now expanded to inner-circle White House figures like Anthony Bernal, a senior adviser to First Lady Jill Biden. Former Democratic National Committee fundraiser Lindy Li recently told Fox News that Bernal acted as a “puppet master,” controlling access to Biden and influencing major decisions. “He can run, but he can’t hide. His name is going to go down in infamy,” Li said.
David Hogg, former co-chair of the Biden-Harris youth outreach effort, called Bernal a “shadowy, Wizard of Oz-type figure” in undercover footage captured by Project Veritas. “That was an open secret. I would avoid him. He was scary,” Hogg said.
As the House Oversight Committee examines internal White House emails and seeks further testimony, pressure is mounting on current and former Biden staffers to explain how one of the most constitutionally sacred powers — the presidential pardon — may have been outsourced to a process driven by political aides and a machine.
