Biden Defends His Autopen in Interview

Former President Biden defended his mental acuity and his use of an autopen for a late batch of pardons and commutations in an interview with the New York Times. "I made every decision," the former president tells the newspaper. Biden pushed back against accusations made by President Trump that top Biden aides were the ones calling the shots late in his administration, particularly on pardons for Biden family members, Anthony Fauci, and others.

• "I made every single one of those," Biden said. "I understand why Trump would think that, because obviously, I guess, he doesn't focus much. Anyway, so—yes, I made every decision." The Times has highlighted excerpts here.

• So why the autopen? "Because there were a lot of them," Biden responded. "The autopen is, you know, is legal. As you know, other presidents used it, including Trump. But the point is that, you know, we're talking about a whole lot of people."
• The White House and congressional Republicans have launched investigations into the entire matter and have subpoenaed former Biden aides, as well as the former president's doctor. The latter has pleaded the 5th, and the Times notes that many in the Biden orbit are being counseled to do so out of fear of perjury charges for even minor discrepancies.