Overview

• A presidential memorandum directs the Justice Department to investigate whether Biden aides conspired to use an autopen on pardons, executive orders and other key documents without his consent.
• The White House has rejected the allegations, asserting that President Biden personally signed all pardons, decrees, laws and proclamations.
• The inquiry spotlights questions about whether Biden’s recent prostate cancer diagnosis and concerns over cognitive decline were intentionally kept from the public.
• Republicans point out that prior presidents, including Barack Obama and Trump himself, used autopens for routine matters but argue Biden’s team misapplied the tool to hide his condition.
• The dispute has intensified divisions within the Democratic Party over Biden’s fitness to lead and prompted calls for greater transparency on presidential health.