Thursday, June 26, 2025

FIRST INFO FROM AUTO PEN HEARINGS

By Bob Walsh

 

Close-up of a document with a signature, possibly auto-signed by a key aide of former President Joe Biden 


Neera Tanden was a top level Joe Biden aide.  She testified before congress on Tuesday that she frequently directed the use of the auto pen to sign presidential documents.  She also said that she was unaware of who gave the actual formal authorization for any partitcular use of the auto pen.  She testified for more than five hours.  

Ms. Tanden testified that she would send a memo up thru channels to get authorization to use the auto pen.  The memo would then come back down stream either authorizing or (presumably on occasion) not authorizing its use.  Ms. Tanden also testified that she had minimal personal contact with President Biden.  

Tanden's attorney stated that it was only used after Biden gave personal approval in each instance.  Neither he nor Tanden were real clear as to the mechanism involved in this approval and whose name and signature actually approved the use.  (Or if they were clear, it hasn't leaked out yet and one would think that is the sort of thing that somebody would leak.)

Several other people are scheduled to appear before congress in this matter.  

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