Neera Tanden Testifies in Closed-Door Hearing Amid Scrutiny Over Autopen Use and Biden’s Mental Fitness

In a private session that stretched over four hours on Tuesday, Neera Tanden, a senior aide to former President Joe Biden, testified before the House Oversight Committee as part of an ongoing investigation into the use of a mechanical signature device known as the autopen and broader questions surrounding the former president’s cognitive health in his final years in office.

Tanden, who currently serves as the head of the White House Domestic Policy Council and previously held the position of staff secretary and senior adviser, addressed the committee under oath, confirming that she had been authorized to direct the use of the autopen between October 2021 and May 2023. Her role, she said, included managing the document flow to and from President Biden and, as such, she was permitted to oversee autopen use when required.

“I was responsible for handling the flow of documents to and from the president,” Tanden said in her opening statement, adding that the use of the autopen was conducted with full authority and without any intention to deceive or misrepresent the president’s involvement in governance.

Emerging from the lengthy testimony, Tanden briefly addressed reporters, stating, “I was very happy to answer questions. I answered the questions. I was happy to discuss my public service.” When asked directly if there had been any attempt to conceal Biden’s physical or cognitive condition, she responded firmly, “Absolutely not.”

Tanden is the first in a series of current and former officials expected to appear before the committee this week. Among those scheduled to testify next is Anthony Bernal, a close adviser to former First Lady Jill Biden. He is set to meet with investigators on Thursday, as lawmakers dig deeper into who was wielding real executive power in the final stretch of Biden’s term.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) emphasized the intent of the investigation, telling reporters that the panel wants to establish “who was calling the shots” during President Biden’s last two years in office. Of particular concern, Comer noted, is the rising frequency of autopen use on official documents—even on days when Biden was reportedly present at the White House.

The issue has gained national attention after former President Donald Trump publicly accused Biden’s team of using the autopen as part of a scheme to conceal the former president’s declining mental faculties. Trump has requested a full investigation, calling the matter one of constitutional significance.

“This is more than about a signature,” Trump stated in a memo on Wednesday. “This is about the use of presidential authority—authority that can alter laws, grant pardons, appoint powerful officials, and change the direction of national policy.”

Trump claims that the repeated use of the autopen may point to a deeper problem: an alleged effort by senior aides to wield presidential power behind the scenes while Biden’s true capacity to govern was in question.

“In recent months, it has become increasingly apparent that former President Biden’s aides abused the power of Presidential signatures through the use of an autopen to conceal Biden’s cognitive decline and assert Article II authority,” the memo read.

Trump argued that if aides had indeed taken radical executive action in Biden’s name without his full understanding or direction, such actions would raise serious constitutional concerns. “If his advisors secretly used the mechanical signature pen to conceal this incapacity, that would constitute an unconstitutional wielding of presidential power,” Trump warned. “This scandal would have implications for the legality and validity of numerous executive actions undertaken in Biden’s name.”

Despite the criticism, President Biden has maintained that he was in full control of his administration throughout his presidency. In a written statement, Biden pushed back forcefully against the accusations, labeling them as political distractions. “I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false,” he wrote.

He further accused his political opponents of attempting to divert public attention from policies that, in his view, would hurt ordinary Americans. “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 fund tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and big corporations,” Biden added.

While the committee’s investigation is still in its early stages, the hearings have reignited partisan debates over transparency in the executive branch, the legitimacy of executive actions taken in a president’s name, and the responsibilities of aides acting on behalf of the commander-in-chief.

As more witnesses prepare to testify in the coming days, questions about presidential accountability and behind-the-scenes decision-making continue to swirl around Washington—setting the stage for a contentious political and legal battle that could reach far beyond Biden’s term in office.