On Tuesday, during a press event, President Donald Trump hinted at the identity of a former high-ranking official from the Justice Department who may have been involved in the autopen pardons and executive orders of former President Joe Biden.
In a conversation with the media, Trump briefly referred to Lisa Monaco as a possible individual behind the autopen. Monaco, who previously served as Deputy Attorney General in the Biden administration, held the position of the second-highest-ranking official in the Justice Department during her tenure.
Throughout her career, she has established herself as an expert in various fields including counterterrorism, cybersecurity, and crisis management. Monaco played a significant role in shaping the nation’s response to terrorism, cyber threats, and notably, issues related to “domestic extremism.”
Trump’s mention of Monaco in this context marks another important development in the ongoing conversation regarding the former president’s use of an autopen. A report from The Washington Examiner suggests that Biden utilized this device to sign documents more frequently and under more dubious circumstances than previously understood.
According to the article, new information from the Oversight Project, a watchdog organization that was formerly associated with the Heritage Foundation, indicates that Biden employed the autopen on three separate occasions during his presidency to authorize executive actions, proclamations, and pardons.
According to various documents, the former president is said to have utilized the device while physically present in Washington and manually signing other documents.
Mike Howell, the president of the Oversight Project, stated during his appearance on “The Sean Hannity Show,” “We had previously revealed that there were two autopen signatures. Therefore, consider it as two iterations of the same signatures, repeatedly applied. Today, we have uncovered a third autopen signature that was utilized on proclamations.”
Prior to this latest revelation, President Trump had instructed the DOJ to initiate an investigation into the autopen issue. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is also examining the situation.
“We have enumerated the relevant statutes. They primarily pertain to forgery and the impersonation of a government official; in certain cases, there may also be elements of bribery, given the substantial amounts of money involved in these matters,” Howell stated during the interview.
He further remarked, “I believe President Trump will eventually relinquish executive privilege in this investigation, preventing those officials from using it as a shield. This will lead to an extended legal confrontation.”
Howell additionally noted that the sources utilized by CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson will need to be disclosed.
“I have information for Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson. They will be required to disclose that information and those identities,” Howell clarified. “There is no entitlement to conceal sources in the context of a criminal conspiracy. That is the subject we are addressing here.”
