Tipsheet

The Autopen Saga Isn't Over: James Comer Announces More Biden WH Staff to Be Called In

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  June 05, 2025 3:30 PM

During now former President Joe Biden's final days in office, there were plenty of questions and concerns about who was in charge, especially when it comes to the autopen signatures used for pardons and executive orders. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY), who investigated the Biden crime family during the 118th Congress, has not given up on getting answers just because President Donald Trump is in office. Late last month he announced he was calling in Dr. Kevin O'Connor, Biden's White House physician, as well as several staff members. He's now expanding that investigation. 

There's some familiar names, including former Chief of Staff Ron Klain and former Senior Advisor to the President for Communications Anita Dunn, who have been suspected of being among the chief architects behind the autopen. Other former staff members called on appear for transcribed interviews include former Senior Advisor to the President Michael Donilon, former Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Bruce Reed, and former Counselor to the President Steve Ricchetti. 

A press release from the Committee referenced Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson's recent book, "Original Sin," which mentioned a source claiming that "Five people were running the country, and Joe Biden was at best a senior member of the board."

"The American people deserve full transparency and the House Oversight Committee is conducting a thorough investigation to provide answers and accountability. The cover-up of President Biden’s mental decline is one of the greatest scandals in our nation’s history. These five former senior advisors were eyewitnesses to President Biden’s condition and operations within the Biden White House. They must appear before the House Oversight Committee and provide truthful answers about President Biden’s cognitive state and who was calling the shots," said Comer in a statement included in that press release.

Comer also spoke to Fox News' Sean Hannity about the announcement on Wednesday night. Hannity himself, speaking about the "major scandal," wondered before introducing Comer, "did [Biden] fully know and understand what the autopen was actually signing?"

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In addition to sharing the progress made, with how "this investigation's been moving at a rapid pace," Comer also pointed out that there's "been a ton of information that's come out in the last seven days from eyewitness accounts, the tell all books, the Tapper book, people like [former Treasury Secretary Pete] Buttigieg, interviews that have surfaced where Joe Biden didn't know about executive orders he just signed," adding, "so this investigation I think's going to move at a pace that I think we're very pleased to see for a congressional investigation."

Comer also pointed out the difference between this investigation and the investigation he had conducted into the Biden crime family, in that he hasn't "thus far faced a weaponized left-wing media," offering it's because "the left-wing media knows that this was a cover-up and I think there's a little bit of curiosity now as to who was actually running the country."

"We're starting with these staffers that we know were the ones who manually put the documents in the autopen and pressed the power button to sign Joe Biden's signature," Comer explained when discussing the nature of the investigation with Hannity. "We want to know who told [Biden] to do what and when, we want to know that Joe Biden actually gave the authority to do that, that Joe Biden was cognitively aware of what he was doing, if he even told them to use the autopen," Comer further detailed, which is also why they're bringing O'Connor in.

As Comer also reminded, "O'Connor continuously issued reports that Joe Biden was the picture of health," adding, "everyone in America knows that wasn't true, we saw that in the debate, and as more information comes forward, Dr. O'Connor's going to have a hard time explaining these brilliant reports of health that he was issuing on Joe Biden when he was president."

When it comes to whether or not he will bring in Biden's family members, Comer shared that he will bring in those who are "implicated as to having any part in the decision making process of using the autopen." The chairman, again stressing the "rapid pace" involved, also highlighted Klain's particular involvement. 

"We're going to follow the trail, just like we followed the money trail in the Biden influence peddling investigation, we're going to follow the trail of who said what and when with respect to the autopen because the amount of executive orders that were signed in the last 90 days of the Biden presidency is breath-taking," Comer made clear. "I don't think the average American realizes how much activity there was in this White House, at a time when almost every American now realizes that Joe Biden was completely checked out," he continued, also speaking of enormous implications, such as to "Trump-proof this administration, making it harder for Donald Trump to fulfill his commitment, to fulfill his agenda, because he's having to, you know, fight in court against all these executive orders that were signed by the autopen."

Comer concluded by stressing the interest of every American. "They know something bad was happening in the White House, they just don't know who was actually calling the shots," he offered. 

The letters to each former staff member include reminders of their personal involvement with Biden's decline. 

As Comer wrote to Klain, "You returned to the former president’s side in 2024 to aid his campaign and prepare him for the June 27, 2024, debate with President Donald Trump. According to an interview, you cut short the debate prep 'due to the president’s fatigue and lack of familiarity with the subject matter' and said that the former president 'didn’t really understand what his argument was on inflation.'" The letter cites reports from The New York Times and POLITICO. 

The former staff members called upon are asked to respond by June 11 about appearing for a July 11 interview to be transcribed. 

In reposting the House Oversight Committee's announcement of the calls for such former staff members to appear for transcribed interviews, Comer made clear that those who choose not to willingly appear will be subpoenaed. Such transcribed interviews will indeed be under oath, Comer confirmed for Hannity. 

O'Connor, the last to respond of those who had been asked to appear for transcribed interviews, is sure enough being subpoenaed.