(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Trump orders investigation into Biden and the Autopen [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-06-05
Donald Trump has been railing about Biden's use of an Autopen since he took office. Trump uses one himself, but he claims he only uses it for unimportant documents.
There is both a memorandum and a fact sheet on "Reviewing Certain Presidential Actions."
"The memorandum directs an investigation into whether certain individuals conspired to deceive the public about Biden's mental state and unconstitutionally exercise the authorities and responsibilities of the president."
A specific use of the Autopen zeroed in on is for pardons. Highlighted is Joe Biden's commutation of the sentences of 37 of 40 prisoners on federal death row, making their sentences life in prison. This is a ruse to cover up the real target, which is the pardons Biden issued for family members, especially Hunter, the members of the Jan.6th Committee, and other targets like Dr. Fauci and Gen. Mark Milley. There are quite a few. Trump was all ready to weaponize the DOJ to go after them, but they were snatched from his grasp.
There's a complete list of President Biden's pardons up at the DOJ website.
Trump once again brings out his claim that Biden was in cognitive decline, as evidenced by Robert Hur's statement about Joe Biden. Hur's special counsel investigation into retention of classified documents said that he didn't charge Biden with anything because Biden would be looked at as a sympathetic old man with a poor memory. Trump changes it to, "The Department of Justice, for example, concluded that, despite clear evidence that Biden had broken the law, he should not stand trial owing to his incompetent mental state."
Trump is questioning absolutely everything Joe Biden signed during his time in office. 1,200 documents. The most important category is of the 235 federal judges Biden appointed. Impeachment of a judge can be for the same reason as for a president. High crimes and misdemeanors, as well as ethics violations. Some of these judges have issued injunctions against Trump's actions. If they were appointed by someone running the Autopen, so Trump's reasoning goes, he can remove them from the bench.
Trump points out that the use of the Autopen is especially suspect during the last two years of his presidency, following the narrative of Jake Tapper's book, "Original Sin." Tapper's theory is that Biden was in a steep cognitive decline as time wore on, which came to light with the disastrous debate with Trump during the presidential campaign. People remember the flubs and silence while trying to think, but after that, he was fine, and, of course, ignore Trump's lies every single second.
Biden immediately hit back at Trump's investigation. "Let me be clear. I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn't is ridiculous and false."
In the memo, Trump states things as fact without any evidence. "The vast majority of Biden's executive actions were signed using a mechanical signature pen, often called an autopen, as opposed to Biden's own hand. This was especially true during the second half of his presidency, when his cognitive decline and apparently become even more clear to those working most closely with him."
David Warrington, counsel to the president and Attorney General Pam Bondi, and any other agency relevant to the investigation, are to examine whether:
There was coordinated activity to hide Biden's incapacitance. Conspiracy between staff to call videos showing Biden's cognitive decline as fake. Conspiracy to put out statements that Biden was fine. The purpose of activities, including asserting the authority of the president. An examination of all Biden's executive actions. What documents the autopen signed, including clemency grants, executive orders, presidential memoranda, and any other presidential policy decisions. Who directed the president's signature to be affixed.
Trump assumes a lot of facts, not in evidence, while making the charges. It is an investigation that is being launched. Months in the making with Trump making one Truth Social post after another laying the groundwork. In the fact sheet, quotes from Trump's posts are used, like they were evidence already found, justifying the investigation.
Trump claims there was a conspiracy to limit Biden's public appearances, especially news conferences and media coverage, and his conversations with lawmakers, government official and campaign donors were all scripted. Ahem. If they were all scripted, that means Biden could remember them and couldn't possibly have a bad memory. Trump shot himself in the foot on that one.
Trump has constantly attacked Joe Biden and President Joe Biden for the good part of a decade. He tried to get Zelenskyy to get dirt on Biden way before Biden decided to run against him. He hated all the good things Joe did in his presidency because he was incapable of doing them. Trump was infrastructure plan in two weeks forever, and Joe got it done. He raged at Biden wiping out his backwards executive orders. Trump wiped out Biden's wherever he could when he took office. It's all about destroying Biden's legacy.
Once again, Donald Trump has done something dramatic to take attention away from the Big Ugly Bill, the travel ban, tariffs, and more.
He is going after everything Biden signed in office, but trust me, the most important part is all about the pardons Biden signed right at the end. That, and the judge appointments. Trump has signaled that this attack was coming all along. He makes it sound like a valid investigation, but let's call it what it is: a witch hunt.
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://dailykos.com/stories/2025/6/5/2326116/-Trump-orders-investigation-into-Biden-and-the-Autopen?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
