1:56Rep. James Comer speaks at a press conference at the US Capitol on October 21, 2025 in Washington, DC.Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
The House Oversight GOP unveiled a scathing report Tuesday morning, presenting their conclusions regarding former President Joe Biden’s cognitive abilities and his utilization of the autopen. They are urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to assess all executive actions implemented during the previous administration and to scrutinize the conduct of three leading officials who declined to cooperate with the panel’s private interviews, citing concerns about possible legal action.
Democrats swiftly rejected the report, branding it a “farce,” with Biden’s post-presidency office deeming it “groundless.”
The extensive report, spanning 100 pages, contains links to records and recordings of their private interviews conducted with 14 high-ranking Biden administration figures, including three key officials — Anthony Bernal, Annie Tomasini, and Dr. Kevin O’Connor — who invoked their Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination instead of addressing the committee’s inquiries.
The committee had previously disclosed footage of those three individuals opting not to testify following their individual depositions. Other aides consistently defended Biden’s intellectual capacity, asserting that he was fully involved in the decision-making process within the White House.
“The Biden Autopen Presidency will be remembered as one of the most significant political controversies in U.S. history,” stated Oversight Chairman James Comer.
Comer alleged that Biden’s close associates “attempted to mislead the public” and conceal “his deterioration.” He asserted that the report exposes how various Biden aides “conspired to deceive the public and the extraordinary measures they undertook to maintain the semblance of presidential authority as Biden’s ability to function independently waned.”
First lady Jill Biden speaks before President Joe Biden finishes signed a presidential memorandum that will establish the first-ever White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, Nov. 13, 2023.Win Mcnamee/Getty Images
A spokesperson for Biden refuted the report, insisting that there was no impropriety within the Biden White House.
“This inquiry into unsubstantiated accusations has validated what has been evident from the outset: President Biden made the decisions of his presidency. There was no scheme, no cover-up, and no misconduct,” the Biden spokesperson stated. “Congressional Republicans should cease concentrating on political reprisal and instead dedicate efforts to resolving the government shutdown.”
Biden has previously defended the practice of using autopen.
“The autopen is, you know, is permissible. 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,” Biden remarked.
Comer argued that executive actions undertaken by Biden White House staff and signed via autopen should be deemed “invalid.”
“We have provided Americans with transparency concerning the Biden Autopen Presidency, and now accountability must follow,” Comer asserted.
Comer’s remarks mirror certain comments made by President Donald Trump regarding Biden’s autopen usage — including the assertion that pardons approved by Biden should be nullified due to their signature via autopen. Trump has acknowledged utilizing an autopen for minor matters but has criticized its application for pardons.
The House committee asserted that it had discovered “significant evidence” suggesting that Biden “underwent notable mental and physical decline during his presidency,” while senior White House officials “actively sought to conceal his deterioration from the public eye.”
Bondi stated in a Tuesday post on X that her team has “already commenced an evaluation of the Biden administration’s reported application of autopen for pardons” and deemed the report “extremely beneficial.”
Speaker Mike Johnson addressed the report Tuesday morning, echoing Comer’s appeals to invalidate “every executive action signed by the autopen without explicit written authorization from President Biden.”
“This represents an unparalleled situation in American politics and governance,” Johnson remarked Tuesday when queried about whether documents signed by the autopen on Biden’s behalf should be “null and void,” as the report concluded. “There is no legal precedent because no previous president … had the audacity to have individuals signing documents on their behalf when they lacked awareness of their contents.”
Oversight Democrats have consistently dismissed the investigation throughout the extended probe — complaining about the GOP’s “fixation” on the former president.
“Despite this spurious investigation, every White House official testified President Biden fully executed his duties as President of the United States. The testimonies also make it clear the former President authorized every executive order, pardon, and use of the autopen,” House Oversight Ranking Member Robert Garcia conveyed in a statement to ABC News.
House Oversight Democrats issued a brief 14-page rebuttal report on Tuesday, contending that the Republicans have “failed to present any proof to substantiate their allegations against President Biden.”
Trump has persisted in criticizing and mocking Biden’s employment of the autopen — even displaying a photo of an autopen signing Biden’s signature alongside portraits of former presidents in the newly established Presidential Walk of Fame on the White House West Colonnade.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer speaks about the latest update on the Jeffrey Epstein case during a press conference, weeks into the continuing government shutdown, on Capitol Hill, Oct. 21, 2025.Al Drago/Reuters
The committee also transmitted a communication to Dr. Andrea Anderson, director of the District of Columbia Board of Medicine, imploring her to examine whether the actions of O’Connor, Biden’s White House physician, should render him ineligible for future practice in the nation’s capital.
“Based on the nature and extent of Dr. O’Connor’s actions, the Committee recommends that the Board of Medicine impose disciplinary measures, sanctions, or revoke his medical license,” the communication states. “If Dr. O’Connor failed to uphold the minimum standard of care owed to the president, intentionally deceived the American public, or composed falsified health assessments of President Biden, then the Committee believes Dr. O’Connor should be prohibited from practicing medicine in the District of Columbia.”
ABC News has sought comments from O’Connor’s legal representative.
When O’Connor appeared before the committee, his attorney, David Schertler, stated that the doctor “asserted the physician-patient privilege, as well as his right under the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, in declining to answer questions from the staff of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform regarding his service as Physician to the President during the Biden Administration.”
Oversight Republicans also criticized Democrats for limited involvement in the probe — noting that the total duration of their questioning amounted to “approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes’ worth of questions” across nearly 47 hours of depositions and recorded interviews.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
