Donald Trump has repeatedly accused former President Joe Biden of relying heavily on an autopen, even arguing that pardons signed using the device should be invalidated. Now, however, two forensic document experts say Trump himself may have used an autopen for a recent round of pardons—claims that led the Justice Department to respond.
Trump’s animosity toward Biden has never been subtle. He has often attacked his predecessor over age and health, but one of his most persistent criticisms has focused on Biden’s alleged use of an autopen to sign official documents. Trump has gone so far as to suggest that any pardons Biden authorized with the device should be voided. During the unveiling of his so-called “Presidential Walk of Fame” at the White House, Trump even replaced Biden’s portrait with an image of an autopen as a symbolic jab.
The issue has also drawn attention from Republicans in Congress. Members of the House Oversight Committee urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to launch a full investigation, arguing that the autopen’s use under Biden lacked proper oversight. The committee claimed that senior White House officials could not clearly identify who operated the device or adequately document presidential approval, concluding that executive actions signed without traceable consent should be considered invalid.
However, the use of an autopen is not unique to Biden. Several presidents before him—including Trump—have used the device. On November 7, Trump issued a new set of pardons, and questions soon followed about how they were signed.
According to The Guardian, two forensic document experts told the Associated Press that several of the pardons posted on the Justice Department’s website appeared to carry identical signatures. Those pardons included ones granted to former New York Mets player Darryl Strawberry, former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada, and former New York police sergeant Michael McMahon.
Shortly after the reports surfaced, the Justice Department quietly replaced the documents online. A spokesperson described the issue as a “technical error.” Chad Gilmartin, speaking for the department, said the same signature had been mistakenly uploaded multiple times due to staffing issues linked to a government shutdown, even though Trump had personally signed the pardons.
Gilmartin emphasized that Trump had signed seven pardons by hand and that the website was later updated to show seven distinct signatures. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson echoed that claim, dismissing the controversy as a “non-story” and stating that Trump signs all pardons personally.
She added that media outlets should focus instead on investigating Biden’s alleged use of the autopen, rather than what she characterized as an insignificant clerical mistake.