The Justice Department continues to review whether aides to former President Joe Biden used an autopen to sign documents beyond the authority he granted, a senior official said. Biden is not under investigation because of a 2024 Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity. The probe, tied to a complaint from Donald Trump about late-term pardons, was transferred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, led by Jeanine Pirro. Officials declined to identify any specific statutes and provided few additional details.
Justice Department Says Autopen Probe Into Biden Aides Is Ongoing
Framed images of President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden's autopen signature, center, appear on the Presidential Walk of Fame on the colonnade of the White House on September. 27, 2025, in Washington, DC. - Jose Luis Magana/AP/File
The Justice Department is continuing its review into whether associates of former President Joe Biden improperly used an autopen to sign documents, a senior department official told reporters. The official emphasized that Biden himself is not a target of the inquiry, citing the Supreme Court's 2024 decision that affords presidents immunity for certain official acts performed while in office.
Prosecutors are focused on whether any aides used the autopen to take actions that exceeded the authority Biden had granted during the final months of his administration. The official declined to identify a specific criminal statute that might be implicated.
This autopen review is one of several inquiries that stem from a complaint lodged by former President Donald Trump, who argued that a series of broad pardons Biden signed late in his term were invalid because the president lacked the mental capacity to knowingly approve them.
US Attorney for Washington, DC Jeanine Pirro delivers remarks at the Department of Justice on February 6, in Washington, DC. - Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Ed Martin, the Justice Department’s pardon attorney who initially oversaw the review, wrote in an October message to the House Oversight Committee chair: “The abuses carried in connection with [the Pardon] office provide further evidence … that bad actors exploited President Biden’s infirmary to secure their own agenda by, with, and through various means including the AutoPen.”
Responsibility for the autopen probe was later transferred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, which is led by Jeanine Pirro, an ally of former President Trump. People familiar with the investigation said the probe showed limited outward activity in recent months, although the Justice Department remained interested in determining whether further action was warranted.
“We cannot comment on ongoing investigations,” Pirro wrote in a social media post on Thursday. The Justice Department has faced public pressure from Trump to pursue legal actions against his political opponents, and Trump has voiced frustration about the pace and results of such efforts.
The department declined to provide additional details about the status, scope or potential timeline of the autopen review.
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