Top Biden aide admits to Congress she directed autopen signatures without knowing who gave final approval
A former top aide to President Joe Biden said she was authorized to direct autopen signatures but was unaware of who in the president's inner circle was giving her final clearance, according to a source familiar with the aide's closed-door testimony in front of Congress Tuesday.
Neera Tanden, the former director of Biden's Domestic Policy Council, testified for hours Tuesday during an interview in front of the House Oversight Committee, which is investigating the former president's mental acuity and his use of an automatic signature tool that allowed aides to sign pardons, memos and other important documents on Biden's behalf.
During Tanden's interview before Congress, which lasted more than five hours, she told lawmakers that, in her role as staff secretary and senior advisor to the former president between 2021 and 2023, she was authorized to direct autopen signatures on behalf of Biden, an Oversight Committee official told Fox News. The system of approval used, according to Tanden's testimony relayed to Fox News, was inherited from previous administrations.
But Tanden, who said she had limited interactions with Biden, described an approval process that left her in the dark about who specifically was giving final approval on the decisions to use the automatic signature tool, sources told Fox News.
Tanden testified that to get approval for the use of autopen signatures she would send decision memos to members of Biden's inner circle. However, she added that she was not aware of what actions or approvals took place between the time she sent the decision memo and the time she received it back with the necessary approval.
When Tanden was asked whether she ever discussed Biden's health or his fitness to serve as president during her time as a top aide, including during the period of the former president's widely criticized debate performance last summer, Tanden said she did not. Lawmakers laid out a list of names of officials she could have potentially discussed it with, and Tanden said "no" to each name, according to a source familiar with her closed-door testimony.
Tanden did not speak to reporters on the way to the Capitol Tuesday morning. Upon exiting, she expressed her willingness to cooperate with the ongoing investigation.
"I just spoke with the House Oversight Committee, Majority and Minority Council. I answered every question, was pleased to discuss my public service and it was a thorough process. And I'm glad I answered everyone's question," Tanden told reporters.
When subsequently asked whether there was any effort to hide Biden's condition, Tanden replied, "Absolutely not."
In addition to Tanden, Biden's former White House physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, will appear for a deposition in front of House Oversight lawmakers after being subpoenaed by Republicans.
In addition to O'Connor and Tanden, the Oversight Committee plans to hear from Anthony Bernal, who served as a senior advisor to former first lady Jill Biden; Annie Tomasini, who was Biden's former deputy chief of staff; and Ashley Williams, who was the former deputy director of Oval Office operations under Biden.
Oversight Republicans are also seeking interviews with officials who were some of Biden's closest confidants, including former chief of staff Ron Klain and Anita Dunn, a former senior advisor to the president for communications.
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