Justice Dept., Under Pressure From Trump, Fails to Build Autopen Case Against Biden
The New York Times • • general
Key Points:
- The Justice Department investigated whether President Biden and his aides illegally used an autopen to sign presidential documents, following President Trump's calls for such probes, but ultimately could not build a criminal case.
- This failure to advance charges is part of a broader pattern where the department has been unable to act on several of Trump's demands for indictments against his political opponents.
- Some cases pursued at Trump's behest were dismissed by grand juries or judges, while others, like the autopen investigation, were dropped by prosecutors.
- The autopen inquiry stemmed from an unproven theory promoted by Trump that Biden's pardons in his final months were invalid due to alleged mental incapacity.
- The pursuit of this theory illustrates Trump's efforts to
