NBC News found itself on the defensive after trying to counter Republican criticism with a rather peculiar strategy that didn’t sit well with many users on social media, leading to ridicule.
The article, published on Tuesday, aimed to highlight alleged hypocrisy among right-wing critics of former President Joe Biden’s use of an autopen to sign key documents—suggesting those documents weren’t fully endorsed by him.
As one commenter put it, “This isn’t journalism; it’s just an attempt to clean up the Democrats’ image.”
In the same piece, it mentioned that Rep. James Comer (R-KY), who chairs the House Oversight Committee, has also used digital signatures in his own official letters regarding this automated signing method.
Many have called out NBC News online for this counterattack that fell flat. One user remarked, “This could be the most absurd thing written in 2025, and that’s saying something when you consider the competition.”
Molly Hemingway questioned, “Why was this even written, apart from pushing Democratic propaganda and steering clear of covering Biden’s issues?” She noted the irony that Comer may not even realize he was sending those letters.
Others raised concerns about NBC’s understanding of the issue, suggesting that equating digital signatures in legislation with the autopen’s implications for presidential authority represents a significant misunderstanding.
One response noted, “It’s not about whether digital signatures are good enough; it’s about whether the power of pardon is being exercised by the individual who has that authority. Stop being naive.”
With former President Donald Trump labeling the autopen situation as “one of the most troubling scandals in American history,” Biden has dismissed the allegations as “ridiculous lies.”
