President Donald Trump has ordered an investigation into former President Joe Biden’s decision-making and physical fitness during his time in office.
Trump cited “cognitive decline” and alleged misuse of presidential authority by his predecessor.
In a memorandum issued on Wednesday, Trump tasked the White House counsel, alongside Attorney General Pam Bondi and various agency heads with determining whether Biden’s aides or allies “conspired to deceive the public about Biden’s mental state” and unlawfully exercised presidential powers on his behalf.
CNN reports that the memo calls for a probe into “any activity… to purposefully shield the public” from signs of Biden’s mental or physical deterioration, and whether video evidence of Biden appearing disoriented was knowingly dismissed as “fake” by his team.
The investigation will also target the use of the autopen, a mechanical device used to replicate the president’s signature, on official documents during Biden’s presidency.
Trump also ordered a review of clemency grants, executive orders, and other policy directives signed with the device, claiming it may have been improperly used to conceal Biden’s declining capacity.
Biden, responding swiftly, rejected Trump’s accusations as baseless and politically motivated. “Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency,” Biden said in a statement Wednesday evening.
“Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false,” Biden added.
He further criticized Trump’s memo as a diversion from what he described as damaging Republican policy efforts.
“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,” Biden stated.
Biden’s former advisers also denied any coordinated attempt to conceal the former president’s health status, asserting that all decisions made during his administration were fully under his direction.
Trump, however, has long been vocal in private and public about what he perceives as Biden’s unfitness for office.
Speaking aboard Air Force One in March, Trump said, “I never use it,” referring to the autopen, adding, “We may use it to send a young person a letter…but to sign pardons and all of the things that Biden signed with an autopen is disgraceful.”
Although the autopen’s use has been upheld by past Justice Department rulings, including a 2005 opinion under former President George W. Bush, Trump’s memorandum appears to question the legitimacy of Biden’s executive actions.
As part of this push, Ed Martin, head of Trump’s Justice Department Weaponization Working Group, is reportedly expanding his review to include Biden-era clemency decisions and operational procedures within the White House.
According to CNN, citing sources familiar with the matter, Martin has also requested documents from the National Archives related to Biden’s presidency, as well as materials tied to earlier controversies such as the FBI’s 2016 Crossfire Hurricane probe.
