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Trump orders Attorney General to investigate Biden’s autopen use amid cognitive decline concerns

Trump orders Attorney General to investigate Biden’s autopen use amid cognitive decline concerns

President Donald Trump called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead an investigation into whether certain individuals working for former President Joe Biden conspired to deceive the public about his mental state while also exercising his presidential responsibilities by using an autopen. In a memo on Wednesday, Trump said the president of the U.S. has a tremendous amount of power and responsibility through the signature. Not only can the signature turn words into laws of the land, but it also appoints individuals to some of the highest positions in government, creates or eliminates national policies and allows prisoners to go free. “In recent months, it has become increasingly apparent that former President Biden’s aides abused the power of Presidential signatures through the use of an autopen to conceal Biden’s cognitive decline and assert Article II authority,” Trump wrote. “This conspiracy marks one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history. The American public was purposefully shielded from discovering who wielded the executive power, all while Biden’s signature was deployed across thousands of documents to effect radical policy shifts.” He continued, saying Biden had suffered from “serious cognitive decline” for years, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) recently concluded that Biden should not stand trial, despite clear evidence he broke the law, because of his mental state. EXCLUSIVE: COMER HAILS DOJ’S BIDEN PROBE AS HOUSE INVESTIGATION HEATS UP “Biden’s cognitive issues and apparent mental decline during his presidency were even ‘worse’ in private, and those closest to him ‘tried to hide it’ from the public,” Trump said. “To do so, Biden’s advisors during his years in office severely restricted his news conferences and media appearances, and they scripted his conversations with lawmakers, government officials, and donors, all to cover up his inability to discharge his duties.” Still, during the Biden presidency, the White House issued over 1,200 Presidential documents, appointed 235 judges to the federal bench and issued more pardons and commutations than any administration in U.S. history, Trump said. The president wrote about Biden’s decision just two days before Christmas 2024, to commute the sentences of 37 of the 40 most dangerous criminals on federal death row, including mass murderers and child killers. TRUMP SAYS BIDEN DIDN’T FAVOR HIS ADMIN’S LAX BORDER SECURITY POLICY, SUGGESTS AUTOPEN PLAYED A ROLE “Although the authority to take these executive actions, along with many others, is constitutionally committed to the President, there are serious doubts as to the decision-making process and even the degree of Biden’s awareness of these actions being taken in his name,” Trump wrote. “The vast majority of Biden’s executive actions were signed using a mechanical signature pen, often called an autopen, as opposed to Biden’s own hand. This was especially true of actions taken during the second half of his Presidency, when his cognitive decline had apparently become even more clear to those working most closely with him. “Given clear indications that President Biden lacked the capacity to exercise his Presidential authority, if his advisors secretly used the mechanical signature pen to conceal this incapacity, while taking radical executive actions all in his name, that would constitute an unconstitutional wielding of the power of the Presidency, a circumstance that would have implications for the legality and validity of numerous executive actions undertaken in Biden’s name,” he added. TRUMP HAS NOT DIRECTED ADMIN TO DECLASSIFY BIDEN DOCS ON HEALTH ‘COVER-UP’ The memo goes on to call for an investigation that addresses if certain individuals, who are not named in the document, conspired to deceive the American public about the former president’s mental state and “unconstitutionally” exercised the president’s authority and responsibilities. Specifically, Trump called on the attorney general’s investigation to look at any activity that purposefully shielded the public from information about Biden’s mental and physical health; any agreements between his aides to falsely deem recorded videos of Biden’s cognitive ability as fake; and any agreements between Biden’s aides to require false, public statements that elevated the president’s capabilities. The investigation will also look at which policy documents the autopen was used for, including clemency grants, executive orders, and presidential memoranda, as well as who directed Biden’s signature to be affixed to those documents. Trump said last week that he thinks Biden did not really agree with many of his administration’s lax border security policies, instead suggesting that those surrounding the former president took advantage of his declining faculties and utilized the autopen to pass radical directives pertaining to the border. House Republicans, led by Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, launched an investigation earlier last month aimed at determining whether Biden, who was in declining health during the final months of his presidency, was mentally fit to authorize the use of the autopen. Comer said last week he was “open” to dragging Biden before the House to answer questions about the matter if necessary.  Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.

Trump suspends foreign student visas at Harvard University amid national security concerns

Trump suspends foreign student visas at Harvard University amid national security concerns

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a proclamation to student visas for foreigners seeking to study or participate in exchange programs at Harvard University, the move in the ongoing feud between the White House and the Ivy League school.  The proclamation directs the State Department to “consider revoking” existing academic or exchange visas of any current Harvard students who meet certain criteria.  “Admission into the United States to attend, conduct research, or teach at our Nation’s institutions of higher education is a privilege granted by our Government, not a guarantee,” Trump said. “That privilege is necessarily tied to the host institution’s compliance and commitment to following Federal law.  Harvard University has failed in this respect, among many others.” The proclamation doesn’t apply to foreign nationals attending other universities’ Student Exchange Visa Program (SEVP) and exempts others whose entry is deemed in the national interest. STATE DEPARTMENT NOW SCRUTINIZING ALL VISA HOLDERS ASSOCIATED WITH HARVARD Last month, the State Department said that it would begin scrutinizing all visa holders associated with Harvard University, not just student visa holders. The investigation is aimed at identifying potential security vulnerabilities or other abuses of the visa system. Wednesday’s proclamation cited Harvard’s history “concerning foreign ties and radicalism.” “Harvard has failed to provide sufficient information to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) about foreign students’ known illegal or dangerous activities, reporting deficient data on only three students,” it said.  It said Harvard has also developed “extensive entanglements with foreign adversaries,” while receiving more than $150 million from China alone.  In exchange, Harvard has “hosted Chinese Communist Party paramilitary members and partnered with China-based individuals on research that could advance China’s military modernization.” TRUMP SAYS HARVARD’S FOREIGN STUDENTS ARE FROM COUNTRIES PAYING ‘NOTHING’ FOR THEIR EDUCATION The Trump administration has accused Harvard of failing to stamp out antisemitism on campus, among other issues.   The proclamation said Harvard has seen a “drastic rise in crime in recent years while failing to discipline at least some categories of conduct violations on campus.” Harvard officials have said the Trump administration is retaliating against the university with moves to freeze taxpayer-funded research grants, an attempt to revoke its ability to enroll international students, to end its tax-exempt status and to open an investigation into whether it discriminated against white, Asian, male or straight employees or job applicants. Fox News Digital has reached out to Harvard for comment. 

Cuomo dismisses nursing home scandal, blames Trump’s ‘MAGA line’ for COVID controversy

Cuomo dismisses nursing home scandal, blames Trump’s ‘MAGA line’ for COVID controversy

Nine Democratic candidates took the stage in New York City Wednesday for the first of two debates ahead of the June 24 mayoral primary, and the claws were out for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.  Cuomo’s COVID-19 scandal was front and center just minutes into the debate as moderators asked the candidates how they would stand up to President Donald Trump if elected mayor. The former governor dismissed the legitimacy of the Justice Department’s investigation into his alleged false congressional testimony about decisions made during COVID-19 when pressed by moderator Sally Goldenberg of Politico.  “That’s the Trump line, the MAGA line, because this was during the Trump re-election,” Cuomo said when asked repeatedly whether he had a role in producing a contested COVID-19 report.  ANDREW CUOMO THE BIGGEST TARGET AS NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL PRIMARY SHIFTS INTO HIGH GEAR Cuomo said the Justice Department’s investigation is another example of the pandemic’s game of “political football.” DOJ INVESTIGATING ANDREW CUOMO FOR ALLEGEDLY LYING ABOUT COVID DECISIONS, SOURCE CONFIRMS “This is what Mr. Trump does, right? He started an investigation against me, against Kathy Hochul, against Sen. Chuck Schumer, against Hillary Clinton. This is one of his tactics,” Cuomo said.  Also joining Cuomo on the debate stage Wednesday night were City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, city Comptroller Brad Lander, former city Comptroller Scott Stringer, former state Assemblyman Michael Blake from the Bronx, state Sen. Zellnor Myrie from Brooklyn, state Sen. Jessica Ramos from Queens and former hedge fund executive Whitney Tilson. The winner of the Democratic Party mayoral primary will be seen as the overwhelming favorite to win November’s general election in the blue city. Early voting in the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City begins June 14 and runs through June 22. Cuomo is the clear polling and fundraising frontrunner in the Democratic primary given his name recognition and experience. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who has found unlikely common ground with the Trump administration in efforts to combat illegal immigration, is running as an independent. The Justice Department made the unusual decision earlier this year to dismiss an indictment against Adams on federal corruption charges. “I know how to deal with Donald Trump because I’ve dealt with him before,” Cuomo said on the debate stage.  Cuomo touted his experience as governor, particularly in challenging Trump’s agenda during his first term as president.  “I am the last person on this stage that Mr. Trump wants to see as mayor, and that’s why I should be the first choice for the people of this city to have as mayor,” Cuomo said.  When again pressed by the moderators and his competitors, Cuomo said he told Congress the truth about the number of nursing home deaths in New York during COVID-19, the basis of the Department of Justice’s investigation.  “No, I told Congress the truth,” Cuomo said. “No, we did not undercount any deaths.” Still, Cuomo refused to answer whether he was involved in the production of the contested COVID-19 report.  The former governor was grilled by Republican lawmakers last year about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. House Republicans subsequently recommended the Justice Department pursue criminal charges against him. They accused him of intentionally lying to Congress during the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into the excessive number of nursing home deaths. Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.