Neera Tanden, once an aide to President Joe Biden, testified before Congress on Tuesday, claiming that he used an autopen without fully knowing who approved its deployment.
Speaking to the House Oversight Committee, Tanden, who served as Biden’s staff secretary, detailed her role from October 2021 to May 2023, saying she had authority to manage the autopen’s use. However, she acknowledged having limited interaction with Biden and was not aware of who ultimately authorized the autopen’s use, as noted by Republican House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer.
“Despite having substantial authority, I had little interaction with President Biden,” Tanden explained. She mentioned that any documents sent for approval didn’t give her insight into how the autop-signatures were managed for the president’s inner circle.
Tanden defended the Biden administration’s use of autopens, arguing it was consistent with practices from previous administrations she was part of. “As staff secretary, I managed the flow of documents to the president and, yes, we could instruct that signatures be added to certain documents using the autopen. This was a system we inherited,” she stated.
She indicated that her oversight of the autopen usage ceased after May 2023 when she became the chair of the National Policy Council. “I lack experience in asking questions at the White House,” she remarked to the committee.
In her opening statement, Tanden criticized the ongoing investigation, suggesting that it was politically motivated and accused the previous administration of disadvantaging Biden’s oversight while focusing on her instead. She mentioned the former administration being preoccupied with “a meme coin and cryptocurrency adventure” and “unlawful attacks on universities and law firms.”
Upon arriving to testify, Tanden reportedly chose to ignore media inquiries but later cooperated with the committee.
Initially nominated by Biden to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in 2021, Tanden withdrew amid opposition. She had called for Libya to pay reparations for U.S. military involvement in 2011 and has sharply criticized politicians across party lines.
During her testimony, Republican Louisiana Senator John Kennedy noted personal attacks against her were problematic, highlighting how she referred to Senator Bernie Sanders using derogatory language.
Records reveal Tanden deleted around 1,000 tweets within two weeks of her appointment. She co-founded the Center for American Progress (CAP) and led the organization from 2011 to 2020. Recently, she returned as CAP’s president and CEO.
Chairman Comer maintained that Tanden had close ties and possessed a deeper understanding of the Biden administration’s workings.
Comer indicated that a subpoena may be issued for Antony Bernal, former adviser to Jill Biden, who hasn’t yet appeared before Congress, claiming he seems frightened of revealing the truth.
The committee plans to release a transcript of the testimonies after all interviews are completed. Comer expressed a preference for transcribed interviews over standard committee hearings, finding them more substantial.
Democratic Representative Wesley Bell argued that the investigation was fueled by political motives, attributing it to an inflated ego of one individual.
Bernal is due to be interviewed by the committee on June 26, while other former aides, including Kevin O’Connor and Ashley Williams, have scheduled testimonies for early July.
