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A stunning development out of Washington has raised fresh questions about who was truly in charge during President Joe Biden’s final years in office.
Neera Tanden, a longtime Democratic operative and former director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, testified before the House Oversight Committee on June 25, admitting she was authorized to direct the use of an autopen to sign presidential documents on Biden’s behalf.
Tanden, who also served as White House staff secretary from 2021 to 2023, confirmed under oath that she oversaw the use of the device used to replicate Biden’s signature—even while he was reportedly present at the White House.
“I was responsible for handling the flow of documents to and from the president,” she said, adding, “I was authorized to direct that autopen signatures be affixed to certain categories of documents.”
While Tanden emphasized that the system was inherited from previous administrations and legally permissible under a 2005 DOJ opinion, Republicans on the committee are focused less on legality and more on transparency. They’re asking the core question: Was Joe Biden actually making the decisions being signed in his name?
Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said the panel is investigating whether any executive actions were approved without Biden’s explicit involvement. “The committee wants answers about who was calling the shots,” he said.
Many of the documents signed via autopen—including controversial pardons—were authorized while Biden was reportedly in the building, raising alarms about the true extent of his engagement.
Tanden insisted she saw no reason to doubt Biden’s capacity to lead, saying she “had no experience in the White House that would provide any reason to question [his] command.”
However, the investigation continues, with several former Biden aides scheduled to testify in the coming weeks—including senior adviser Anthony Bernal and Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor.
While Democrats on the committee called the probe a political sideshow, Comer made clear that this is just the beginning. “I think the American people want to know,” he said. “This is about accountability.”
As the autopen controversy grows, critics argue that unelected aides may have wielded extraordinary power—while voters were kept in the dark.
