One Biden White House source told The Post they suspect that a key aide to the then-president may have made unilateral determinations on what to auto-sign. The Post is not publishing that staffer’s name due to the lack of concrete evidence and refutations by other colleagues.
The Biden aide, who did not respond to requests for comment, would frequently make mention of what “the boss” wanted, the source said, but compatriots would have “no idea” if it was true because the internal culture was to not ask questions.
“Everyone” was suspicious of this individual exceeding their authority when claiming to speak for the president, the source said. “But no one would actually say it.”
“I think [the aide] was using the autopen as standard and past protocol,” The Post’s informant said.
“There is no clarity on who actually approved what — POTUS or [the aide].”
A second Biden White House source agreed that the person was suspected of assuming the then-president’s positions and handing down orders without it being clear if they actually had communicated with the commander-in-chief.
Several other former staffers, including those who in the past have offered unvarnished assessments of what they view as the shortcomings of the ex-president and his core staff, described the allegation as absurd and said they never saw the person abuse their authority.
One of the skeptics noted that Biden frequently would “demand to see the most mundane statements” put out by the press office during their tenure early in his term of office — with another calling the entire storyline “bulls–t” and adding that it was “embarrassing” for Trump and his allies to be making it an issue.
Attorney Mike Davis, a prominent outside adviser to Trump and his team, told The Post that the particular circumstances of autopen use matter, noting that it’s common practice in Washington for politicians to delegate auto-signatures to aides.
“If they’re carrying out the president’s will, it doesn’t seem like an issue. If they’re not carrying out the president’s will, it’s a huge issue — it’s criminal,” Davis said, listing forgery, obstruction of justice and fraud as potential charges.
“If an authorized autopen operator is using the autopen on a particular document against the president’s will, it’s clearly not valid.”
www.facebook.com
