The White House argues that President Donald Trump will not use an autopen to sign legally binding documents such as amnesty after he accused former President Joe Biden of signing such documents using mechanical equipment.
White House officials confirmed on Tuesday that the Trump administration’s official policy on both terms is to use Trump’s hand signatures in all legal or binding documents.
Trump told Air Force reporters on Sunday that it was embarrassing to use him when signing pardons and other documents while he was using an autopen for communication.
“As an example, we can use it to send letters to young people. “You know, we get thousands of letters, letters of support for young people, people who feel bad, etc.
Trump claims that Biden’s pardon is “invalid” and that they were signed via an autopen
President Donald Trump told Air Force reporters that he only uses automatic pens for documents such as communications. (Getty)
Trump also argued on Sunday that the court must decide whether Biden’s use of the autopen for executive orders and pardons means they are invalid.
Autoopen is a device programmed to physically hold a pen and replicate a person’s signature. The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel held in 2005 that the president was allowed to use an autopen to sign the bill to the law, and the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued a ruling in February stating that it was “not equivalent to proof that no writing occurred.”
“The constitutional texts therefore remain silent on the specific forms that the President’s tolerance Act must take to be effective,” the Circuit said in its opinion.
In a social media post on Sunday, Trump raised the issue of Biden using an autopen to sign pardons, including some for lawmakers who served on the House Selection Committee to investigate the January 6 Capitol riots. Trump in the Post argued that the pardon was “null” and accused Biden of not having knowledge of their signature.
“In other words, Joe Biden didn’t sign them, but more importantly, he knew nothing about them! The required relentless documents were not explained to Biden or approved.
A Biden spokesman did not provide Fox News Digital any comments on the record.
Biden’s “Autopen Signature” appears in most official documents, raising concerns about who controlled the WH: Report
President Donald Trump accused former President Joe Biden of unconsciously signing an amnesty during his presidency. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
On March 6, the surveillance project using the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation released a report claiming it had conducted an analysis of the Biden documents, discovering that the majority of documents signed during his administration used Autoopen.
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“Our findings suggest the widespread use of autopensions to sign warrants of generosity across the Biden presidency,” the surveillance project said in a memo released on March 17.
On Trump’s inauguration day, Biden retired General Mark Millie, who accused Trump of committing treason, and General Mark Millie, the people involved in the January 6 Select Committee investigation, which conducted an investigation into the attack.
Trump was indicted for historically opposing the Select Committee and for trying to overturn the 2020 election results, which culminated in an attack on the Capitol in August 2023. However, in November 2024, special adviser Jack Smith dropped the lawsuit against Trump after Trump won the presidential election.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Diana Stancy is a political reporter for Fox News Digital, covering the White House.
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