Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
FIRST ON FOX: A pro-energy advocacy group is escalating its demands for an investigation into several executive actions related to climate taken by the Biden administration. The nonprofit organization claims these orders should be considered invalid because they allegedly were signed using an autopen, with no public acknowledgment from President Biden regarding his awareness of these crucial decisions.
Power the Future, which champions American energy jobs, has scrutinized eight executive orders. The group asserts that these actions marked significant changes in domestic energy policies, yet they found no instance where President Biden publicly addressed any of them, raising doubts about their legitimacy.
“These are not insignificant bureaucratic documents. They represent foundational shifts in American energy policy, yet Joe Biden has not once discussed them publicly,” stated Daniel Turner, the group’s founder and executive director, in remarks to Fox News Digital.
Highlighted Executive Orders Under Scrutiny
The executive actions in question include topics such as a ban on Arctic drilling enacted in 2023 and a pivotal 2021 executive order committing to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Additionally, the orders involved setting up AI centers focused on clean energy and prohibiting offshore drilling right before the end of the administration in 2025.
Power the Future has reported finding no evidence of President Biden making any public comments concerning these crucial executive orders. Consequently, the organization has sent letters to various federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency, and Congressional Oversight Committees, urging an investigation into who was responsible for drafting and signing these executive actions.
Demanding Transparency in Governance
“Given the mounting evidence indicating that actions purportedly taken by the former president may not have received his approval or signature, the necessity for Congress to investigate these issues has become increasingly urgent,” read one of their communications directed to Republican House Oversight Chair James Comer. This communication emphasized the need for clarity on whether Biden was aware of these executive actions prior to their execution by federal authorities.
The letter further questioned if these actions were carried out on behalf of the president and if they were indeed enacted with his knowledge. This situation raises critical questions about accountability within the administration.
Republican Concerns Over Presidential Autopen Use
Fox News Digital has sought comment from Biden’s office regarding these allegations, but a response was not available by the time of publication.
The topic of the presidential autopen has gained traction among Republicans in recent months as questions about President Biden’s cognitive capacity rise, especially considering remarks made in a book by journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson titled ‘Original Sin.’
“Power The Future is increasingly concerned that crucial policies of economic and national security significance, directed from the White House during Biden’s administration, may have been implemented without the president’s awareness or endorsement, potentially orchestrated by a small circle of staff members,” the letter suggests.
The autopen is a device designed to replicate a person’s signature. According to the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, the president is allowed to use an autopen to sign legislation, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has ruled that a lack of a handwritten signature does not invalidate the signed documents.
Repercussions of Autopen Usage Amid Political Scrutiny
In March, former President Donald Trump alleged that President Biden’s pardons for lawmakers involved in the January 6 Capitol riot were “VOID,” claiming these were signed via an autopen without Biden’s knowledge.
Additionally, constitutional scholar Jonathan Turley remarked to Fox News Digital that legal challenges against these autopen signed documents would likely not prevail, stating that presidents are permitted to use the autopen and that courts typically do not assume an anomaly or conspiracy in such occurrences.
Power the Future’s letters referenced discussions where House Speaker Mike Johnson indicated that President Biden seemed to have forgotten signing an order to pause liquefied natural gas exports.
A report from a division of the Heritage Foundation suggested that many official documents under Biden’s administration were allegedly signed with an autopen.
Public Trust at Stake
“Throughout the Biden administration, hundreds of billions of dollars have been allocated to green initiatives while the American fossil fuel industry has faced adversity. There is no evidence showing Biden initiated, directed, or was even cognizant of these actions taking place in his name,” Turner commented, stressing the public’s right to transparency regarding executive orders.
“This autopen controversy indicates that these green executive orders may be legally invalid. Those responsible should face a thorough investigation by the Department of Justice for undermining public trust and perpetrating a significant deception against American citizens.”
Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy contributed to this report.
