Biden Defends Autopen Clemency in NYT: 'Many Deserved It'

Former President Joe Biden defended his use of an autopen in a recent interview, offering light on his administration's reasoning for the contentious use of the technology.

The interview with the New York Times focused on his employment of an autopen for his final pardons at the close of his reign.

In his final weeks in office, Biden granted mercy and pardoned over 1,500 people, in what the White House claimed was the largest single-day act of clemency by a US president. 

"We're talking about [granting clemency to] a whole lot of people," the Democrat explained.

According to the Times, Biden "did not individually approve each name for the categorical pardons that applied to large numbers of people," as described by the former president and his staff.

"Rather, after extensive discussion of different possible criteria, [Biden] signed off on the standards he wanted to be used to determine which convicts would qualify for a reduction in sentence," according to the Times's story. 

Instead of continually requesting the president to resign, updated copies of formal documents, Biden's staff signed the final version using an autopen.

Biden's remarks came after Republicans criticized him for using an autopen on a large number of official documents. 

In June, President Donald Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate the usage of the autopen and discover whether it was related to Biden's mental impairment. 

"In recent months, it has become increasingly apparent that former President Biden's aides abused the power of Presidential signatures through the use of an autopen to conceal Biden's cognitive decline and assert Article II authority," Mr. Trump said. 

"This conspiracy represents one of the most serious and troubling scandals in American history.  The American public was purposely kept from learning who possessed executive power, even while Biden's signature was used on hundreds of documents to achieve significant policy revisions."

Also in June, Trump told reporters that he thought it was "inappropriate" to use an autopen at all, even though previous presidents had used them. 

"Usually, when they put documents in front of you, they're important," he added.  "Even if you're signing ambassadorships or - and I consider that important, I think it's inappropriate." 

"You have someone who devotes at least four years of their life to becoming an ambassador.  I believe you deserve a proper signature, not an autopen signature.