
Published September 20, 2025
The Lede
For years, critics warned that President Joe Biden was not fully in control of his own White House. Now, testimony, emails, and insider accounts are confirming their worst suspicions. The president’s closest aide has admitted that Biden’s memory was slipping, his decision-making slowed to a crawl, and aides had to adapt to his decline. Meanwhile, an obscure device — the autopen — was being used not just for routine signatures, but for executive orders and pardons with real lives at stake. And in a twist that sounds more like political fiction than reality, Hunter Biden, the president’s embattled son, was seated in meetings on clemency decisions.
What emerges is not the portrait of a leader steering the nation, but of a presidency on autopilot — propped up by loyal staffers, family influence, and a machine that replicated the president’s pen. The so-called Pardongate scandal isn’t just about signatures on paper. It’s about legitimacy, transparency, and whether the American people were deliberately kept in the dark about who was truly running the country.
The Decline Nobody Could Ignore
For months, Americans could see it with their own eyes — the halting speeches, the forgotten names, the blank stares. But now, the quiet whispers from inside the West Wing have become sworn testimony. Former White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients admitted to investigators that President Joe Biden’s memory and sharpness declined noticeably while in office. Meetings that once required three rounds of discussion suddenly stretched to four. Simple details — names, dates, facts — slipped through the cracks.
Zients tried to soften the blow, insisting that Biden still “made the final calls,” but his testimony confirmed what millions already suspected: the president of the United States was no longer capable of keeping pace with the demands of the job.
And yet, instead of transparency, the American people were treated to carefully staged appearances and tightly scripted moments designed to hide the truth. Behind the curtain, aides weren’t just filling in the gaps — they were effectively carrying the load of a faltering commander-in-chief. For critics, this was never about compassion for an aging leader. It was about a cover-up, one that left the world’s most powerful office in the hands of staffers rather than the man elected to hold it.
Autopen Nation: Who Really Signed the Pardons?
Every president since Harry Truman has faced the monumental responsibility of pardons — a solemn act meant to embody justice, mercy, and executive authority. But in Joe Biden’s White House, that sacred duty appears to have been outsourced to a machine.
The autopen, a device capable of replicating the president’s signature with uncanny precision, was once reserved for minor formalities — holiday cards, routine letters, ceremonial acknowledgments. Under Biden, it became something far more troubling: a tool for rubber-stamping executive orders and even presidential pardons.
Internal emails, uncovered by investigators, reveal aides debating and approving the use of the autopen for pardons in the final hours of Biden’s presidency. One January 19th message from Jeff Zients’ account reportedly greenlit its use for cases involving Biden family connections. The implications are staggering: if the president himself never put pen to paper, can those pardons truly be considered valid? Or did unelected staffers — and a machine — usurp one of the most serious powers of the presidency?
Supporters claim the autopen was merely a convenience, used with Biden’s approval. But critics argue it was symptomatic of a deeper problem: a president too compromised to carry out his most basic duties. In a moment when the nation expected solemn judgment from its leader, it instead got the cold mechanics of a machine and the quiet sign-off of bureaucrats operating in the shadows.
At stake is not just the legitimacy of a handful of pardons, but faith in the presidency itself. If the American people cannot trust that the president’s hand guided his own signature, then every order, every pardon, every decision signed in ink becomes a question mark.
Hunter Biden: The Son in the Room
If the autopen raised eyebrows, Hunter Biden’s presence in pardon discussions set off alarm bells. According to Jeff Zients’ testimony, the president’s embattled son was not just visiting the White House — he was seated in meetings where the awesome power of presidential clemency was being weighed.
Think about that for a moment. The president’s son, a man facing his own legal challenges and federal investigations, was allowed to sit in as pardons were discussed — including those involving individuals close to the Biden family. Hunter had no elected office, no official White House role, and no constitutional authority. Yet there he was, inside the room where lives, reputations, and criminal records were being decided.
To critics, this was more than bad optics. It was confirmation of what they had warned for years: the Biden presidency functioned less like an administration and more like a family enterprise. Just as Hunter traded on the Biden name in business dealings overseas, he was now wielding his access to the Oval Office in matters of justice.
The symbolism is devastating. While everyday Americans fight for years to have their cases heard, the president’s troubled son had a seat at the table — influence by proximity. Whether he directly shaped decisions or simply hovered in the background, his presence alone undermines the integrity of the process. Pardons are meant to be a reflection of justice tempered by mercy, not a family privilege discussed over coffee with the First Son.
In the end, Hunter’s role in Pardongate makes one truth unavoidable: the lines between family loyalty and presidential duty were blurred, and the credibility of Biden’s White House is paying the price.
Former Biden chief of staff Jeff Zients in July. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
Implications
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Illegitimate Governing
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If Biden’s signature was effectively outsourced to a machine, then key pardons and executive actions may have never truly come from the President himself. That raises the question: were Americans really under Biden’s leadership, or under the rule of unelected aides and family members?
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Hunter Biden’s Shadow Role
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Hunter’s presence in pardon talks is more than bad optics — it signals a White House blurred by family business and backroom influence, confirming what critics long warned about Biden corruption.
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Cover-Up of Cognitive Decline
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By admitting that Biden’s memory and decision-making had deteriorated, aides essentially confirm that the American people were kept in the dark about a president unfit for the job. This looks less like compassion and more like a coordinated deception.
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Erosion of Trust in Institutions
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If Congress and the public can’t be sure whether a presidential order is genuinely authorized, then the entire credibility of the executive branch is in question. The scandal fuels distrust not just in Biden, but in Washington’s ability to be honest about who is really in charge.
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Future of the Democrat Party
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Democrats now face a devastating choice: either defend a presidency propped up by staffers and machines, or admit that Biden’s decline was covered up for political gain. Either path weakens their credibility heading into 2026 and 2028.
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Overall Takeaway:
The revelations surrounding Biden’s heavy reliance on the autopen, Hunter’s hand in pardon talks, and the steady acknowledgment of the president’s mental decline paint a troubling picture. This wasn’t simply a case of a tired leader needing help — it was a White House that appears to have placed the machinery of government on autopilot while shielding the truth from the American people. The presidency was never meant to be managed by unelected aides, family insiders, or a signature machine.
At the very least, this scandal tarnishes Biden’s legacy. At worst, it exposes a government run by handlers who valued power over transparency. For a nation built on accountability, the American people deserve answers — and reforms to ensure the Oval Office can never again be reduced to a family affair backed by a pen machine.
SOURCES: ZEROHEDGE – Top Biden Aide Releases Kraken On Autopen, Hunter’s Role In Pardongate, And Joe’s Malfunctioning Brain
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