President Trump has ordered an investigation into whether associates of his predecessor, Joe Biden, concealed alleged problems concerning his mental acuity.
On Wednesday, Trump said in a memo that the investigation in question will probe whether officials of the former Democratic leader attempted to mislead the public by concealing a severe cognitive decline from the American people. “This conspiracy marks one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history,” he said in a memo, which tasked White House counsel David Warrington with leading the inquiry with the help of the Attorney General, Pam Bondi.
The U.S. president is also convinced that Biden’s aides used his automatic pen to sign some official documents on his behalf. However, there is no evidence that officials used the autopen to act without the former White House incumbent’s knowledge. The Department of Justice has long ruled that the use of the pen is valid as long as the president makes the decisions.
The investigation could put the spotlight on some pardons issued by Biden in the final days of his tenure that preemptively shielded some of Trump’s political enemies from possible criminal retaliation.
Among others, Biden pardoned former health official Anthony Fauci, while in December he granted a “full and unconditional” pardon to his son Hunter, who was being prosecuted by the Justice Department and has long been in the crosshairs of the Republican Party.
For his part, Trump said the investigation into his predecessor would target not only the activities of Biden’s aides, but also any edited videos as well as any statements or memos he signed during his final years in office.
The House Oversight Committee also launched an investigation into Biden’s use of the autopen, requesting to hear from former aides and allies of Biden, as explained by James Comer, Republican of Kentucky. Comer also indicated that Biden’s former doctor, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, will be subpoenaed to testify before the committee.
Biden responded to the accusations of Trump and his allies in a statement to Politico, “Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false”.
“This is nothing more than a distraction by Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans who are working to push disastrous legislation that would cut essential programs like Medicaid and raise costs on American families, all to pay for tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and big corporations,” he added.
