The ongoing controversy surrounding the use of an autopen for presidential pardons issued during the final phase of Joe Biden’s presidency intensified this week following a New York Times report suggesting that numerous pardons may have been authorized without Biden’s direct involvement.
At the center of the investigation is House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY), who has been leading the probe into Biden’s cognitive and physical condition during his final months in office.
As questions continue to mount over who was actually authorizing decisions at the White House, NBC News published a report attempting to shift attention to Comer’s own use of signatures during his investigation.
The House Oversight Committee chair used a digital signature to send out letters and subpoena notices related to the Biden autopen investigation. https://t.co/Worzea6MN6
— NBC News (@NBCNews) July 15, 2025
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According to NBC, some documents and subpoena notices issued by Comer were signed using a digital signature rather than being physically signed by the congressman himself.
“Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., has been leading the probe into Joe Biden’s cognitive state during his presidency, with Republicans alleging that Biden’s occasional use of an ‘autopen’ to sign documents — a practice other presidents have done as well — demonstrated that he wasn’t fully in control or aware of what his administration was doing,” NBC reported.
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“But documents show that some of the letters and subpoena notices Comer has sent out in connection to his investigation have been signed using a digital signature — not written by the congressman himself,” the report continued.
The article also referenced previous statements by President Trump, who in June ordered a formal investigation into the use of the autopen by the Biden-Harris administration, describing it as “one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history.”
Biden has publicly denied any wrongdoing, calling the accusations “ridiculous and false.”
Critics of the NBC report quickly pointed out key distinctions between the two matters.
While Comer may have used a digital signature on some notices, reports confirm that the subpoenas themselves were signed with a wet signature.
I can’t believe this is real. pic.twitter.com/NxZfhkEsFR
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) July 15, 2025
The term “subpoena notices,” used by NBC, was noted by observers as intentionally vague and misleading.
A digital signature, unlike an autopen, is typically considered a valid acknowledgment by the individual, whereas the concern in Biden’s case centers on whether he was personally aware of or involved in the issuing of pardons.
NBC News is running cover for Biden and the autopen pardon scandal by conducting their own “analysis” of Comer’s digital signature on Oversight documents.
“Unexpected new twist into the Biden investigation!”
They misleadingly conflate the two, while completely ignoring the… pic.twitter.com/yZvqufBoRJ
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) July 15, 2025
The New York Times previously reported that Biden had delegated authority to staff to issue pardons to individuals fitting within broad “categories” he had approved in advance.
The pardons at issue were signed using the autopen, a mechanical device that allows someone to affix a signature without the individual being physically present.
Comer has not indicated that staff members were independently deciding whom to subpoena.
According to sources familiar with the Oversight Committee’s operations, final decisions on subpoena targets were made directly by Comer, and official subpoenas bear his personal signature.
The use of the autopen for presidential pardons has raised constitutional questions and prompted legal scholars to examine whether such actions meet the standards of direct presidential authorization, particularly when the president may not have reviewed the documents themselves.
The White House has not provided detailed information on the internal process used to issue the pardons.
The Federal Register has recorded the names of those pardoned, but the specific rationale or review process remains unclear.
The House Oversight Committee’s investigation into the matter is ongoing.
Comer has stated that the committee will continue to gather documents and testimony to determine the extent of Biden’s knowledge and involvement in the use of the autopen for official acts.
Despite skepticism about whether the investigation will result in legal consequences, given the broad and largely unreviewable nature of presidential pardon power under the Constitution, Comer and others have emphasized the need for transparency and public accountability.
