In a striking revelation, it has come to light that both President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama relied heavily on autopen for official signatures, including condolence letters to families of fallen heroes. These insights emerge from the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight project, a dedicated effort led by the seasoned investigator, Mike Howell.
WHOEVER CONTROLLED THE AUTOPEN CONTROLLED THE PRESIDENCY
We gathered every document we could find with Biden’s signature over the course of his presidency. All used the same autopen signature except for the announcement that the former President was dropping out of the…
— Oversight Project (@OversightPR)
March 6, 2025
This investigation suggests that President Biden may have been unaware of many documents signed on his behalf. The use of autopen for identical signatures indicates that consent was often applied by staff using an automatic pen or digital means, bypassing Biden’s direct involvement.
Under Biden’s administration, the Chief of Staff roles were held by Ron Klain and Jeff Zients. Klain has moved to AirBNB, while Zients, previously on Facebook’s board, has ties to Obama and the contentious COVID response.
Notably, this practice of using form letters wasn’t exclusive to Biden. Barack Obama also sent autopen-signed condolence letters to families of soldiers, including SEAL Team 6 members who tragically died after Osama bin Laden’s death.
The tragedy unfolded on August 6, 2011, when a CH-47 Chinook helicopter crash in Afghanistan resulted in the loss of 30 US service members, marking the deadliest single event for U.S. forces during the prolonged Afghan conflict. Among those killed were 17 elite Navy SEALs.
In 2012, during the Defending the Defenders forum held by Tea Party Patriots at the RNC Convention in Tampa, Karen and Billy Vaughn, parents of fallen hero Aaron Carson Vaughn, presented a form letter they received post their son’s death. It was confirmed to be signed by an electric pen.
Karen Vaughn reached out to other SEAL parents, all of whom had received the same autopen-signed form letters.
Here’s a closer examination of the letter sent to Chief Petty Officer Nicholas H. Null’s family, showcasing the same standardized form.
Following one of the darkest days for US forces in Afghanistan, President Obama resorted to form letters for the grieving families. Yet, contrastingly, he did manage to send a personal note to the family of rapper Heavy D upon his passing.
