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To: House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the Senate Judiciary Committee

Investigate Presidential Use of the Autopen for Pardons and Executive Actions

Investigate Presidential use of the autopen for pardons and executive actions!
In a constitutional republic, the President’s signature carries the force of law — on pardons, commutations, and executive orders that change lives and shape history.

But what happens when that signature is produced by a machine?

Over the past two decades, multiple administrations have reportedly used autopen devices — mechanical instruments that replicate the President’s handwriting — to sign official actions, including executive orders and even pardons.

If that’s true, it raises serious questions:
  • Did the President personally review or approve each document before it was signed?
  • Are autopen signatures on pardons or directives legally binding under the Constitution?
  • Who oversees this process — and how often has it been used?

This isn’t about party politics. It’s about constitutional integrity and executive accountability.

We call on Congress — specifically the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the Senate Judiciary Committee — to launch a bipartisan investigation into:
  1. The historical and current use of autopen signatures for official presidential acts;
  2. The legal opinions authorizing this practice;
  3. The frequency and scope of its use for pardons, commutations, or national security orders.

No machine should hold the pen of the President. The American people deserve to know that every official action bearing the President’s name truly reflects the President’s will.

Why is this important?

Americans deserve to know who’s really signing our nation’s laws and pardons. Current and recent administrations have reportedly used autopen devices — mechanical signature machines — to approve executive actions and even presidential pardons. Congress must investigate the legality and oversight of this practice.

Presidential signatures aren’t just ink — they represent executive power under the Constitution. If machines can sign in the President’s place, without transparent oversight, then the core of that power shifts from an elected leader to unaccountable staff or process.

It’s time for Congress to restore clarity, transparency, and trust in how executive authority is exercised — and ensure that the President’s hand, not a machine’s, signs the law of the land.

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