Trump Launches Probe Into Biden’s US Presidency

US President Donald Trump has ordered an official investigation into former President Joe Biden's conduct during his term in office, focusing on allegations of his cognitive health and the use of an autopen to authorise official documents. The new order was proclaimed days after Trump shared a baseless claim about Biden that he was executed in 2020 and replaced with clones.

In a memo issued on Wednesday, Trump directed White House Counsel David Warrington and Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead the inquiry. The investigation will examine whether Biden's aides knowingly concealed his alleged mental decline and unlawfully used the autopen – a legally permitted device that replicates a signature – to sign executive orders and pardons without his direct approval.

“This conspiracy marks one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history," Trump stated. "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 added. The autopen has been used by past presidents and is considered a legal tool for signing when the president is unavailable. However, Trump and his Republican allies claim that in Biden's case, it may have been used to cover up his mental decline.

The investigation follows a letter from the House Republicans requesting interviews with five of Biden's former advisors, alleging a coordinated cover-up of his condition. They argued that this issue currently undermines the legitimacy of decisions made during Biden's administration. President Biden, currently diagnosed with prostate cancer, dismissed the accusations, arguing that he made the decisions during his presidency. Democrats have labelled the probe a political distraction from the controversial new tax bill.