The Mystery of the Autopen – Guess What…There is No Mystery.

Insider info from a former White House employee with autopen privileges.

Let’s take a little trip down history lane—because as I always say:

When you know your history, there isn’t much mystery…at least when it comes to your government.

So what is the Autopen? It is a machine—a robotic arm with a fixed writing utensil, for the White House always a Sharpie or ink pen, utilized to mimic the exact signature of a sitting president, vice president, and sequential dignitaries per each administration.

Since the era of Thomas Jefferson, multiple U.S. presidents have relied on the autopen—though their openness about it has varied. In earlier decades, the White House often denied the device’s use altogether. Today, however, the autopen is more of a poorly kept secret.

There were whispers that President Harry Truman used one, while Gerald Ford openly acknowledged incorporating the tool into his workflow. But it was President Lyndon B. Johnson who truly brought it into public view, famously allowing the autopen to be photographed inside the White House. The image even made the front page of The National Enquirer back in 1968 under the bold headline: “The Robot That Sits in for the President.”

As a staffer myself I always felt a slight bit of guilt giving a friend a “hand-signed” photograph of the Commander-in-Chief knowing very well I watched it be autopen-ed during my lunch break, not signed by the President himself from the resolute desk within the Oval Office. But hey — it is technically the real thing — minus the shaky old man hands of our traditional presidents who came and went that may afford you an extra authentic squiggle after brushing up on the writing utensil as compared to a nice crisp signature done by a machine.

So while we’re at it… yes often times “signed” memorabilia from your favorite artist, musician, athlete - you name it - is squibbed by the “AP”.

The autopen is a bit of a heartbreaker.

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So how does the autopen process work? Who gets to use it—and who makes the call?

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The Ones that Press Play

The autopen machine is run by Records Management. An office located within the top floor of the Eisenhower Executive Building, sharing the famous West Executive access road that leads to the West Wing of the White House.

The autopen itself lives upstairs with Records Management in a small room, guaranteed to be locked unless manned by a Records Management employee typically situated amongst stacks and stacks of documents. These are the only staffers allowed to physically handle the autopen machine. From fixing the pre-determined writing utensil onto the machine, to placing the physical material under the writing utensil for signature, to pressing the on button, and then eventually starting the machine to execute the coveted signature.

It’s worth mentioning that this position is apolitical. Staffers tend to be retained from administration to administration.

Unless you’re these guys - former Records Management employees - who appeared to be angry Trump won and lied on live television (to CNN of course) presenting a box of shredded papers that they claimed they had to tape back together due to frequent temper tantrums had by then-President Trump (in term 1). I suggest you watch the clip here, it always gives me a bit of a chuckle.

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Now there is nothing too juicy when it comes to say cards or signed photographs. Records Management works with the Office of Presidential Correspondence

for large quantities of holiday cards, letters, photographs, etc. in which the autopen is authorized to be utilized on behalf of the President to be given to the public.

But for the big stuff - I’m talking presidential messages, executive Orders, memos, proclamations, nominations, disaster declarations… anything with presidential authority — you know, except for pardons since those need to have original authentic physical signature *ahem Biden* — that comes from the Executive Clerk’s Office.

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The Ones that Produce the Document

So as you can tell, we are working backwards here.

The Correspondence Office handles the frills, the White House Office of the Executive Clerk handles the bills — quite literally, as this office receives and sends bills between the White House and Capitol Hill as well.

The White House Office of the Executive Clerk plays a vital role in managing the official legal paperwork signed by the President of the United States.

Established in 1865, the Office of the Executive Clerk is one of the oldest entities within the Executive Office of the President. This small team—typically made up of the Executive Clerk and a few assistants—works from Room 2 on the ground floor of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, located just across from the West Wing.

What sets this office apart from others in the White House is that it is fully staffed by nonpartisan career civil servants, not political appointees. Additionally, it maintains its own records across presidential administrations, rather than transferring them to the National Archives at the end of each term, as most White House offices do under the Presidential Records Act.

And if you were wondering how I know about the autopen… it’s because I served in this office, seeing executive orders and the like be created from start to finish - every draft, every input from the Office of General Counsel, every edit from the National Security Council, and of course the final say from the White House Office of the Staff Secretary… the words, “Ready for AP.”

Oh yeah - did I mention that the process for autopen, each and every step, is recorded via email traffic on the internal White House servers?

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The Ones that Give Signature Authorization

So here we are in its inception - the question even GOP Oversight is still seeking to answer. Who authorizes the autopen?

Well let me tell you.

The Executive Clerks Office operates under the umbrella of the White House Office of the Staff Secretary, which oversees the overall flow of paperwork to and from the President.

Now it appears to me that the reason why the Staff Secretary was never looked into, and is still just a gloss over even though it is by far the most important and most obvious position of interest regarding the volume of which former President Biden’s signature was utilized, is because… the title is boring.

Bluntly speaking - that’s it.

If this job title was ~Senior Advisor~ or something fancy like that, it would have been pretty darn easy for people to latch onto this information that I have repeatedly given to members of the media well before outlets and individuals began reporting on Biden’s cognitive decline.

Now let’s back it up.

The White House Staff Secretary, often described as the "nerve center" of the White House, ensures that the President receives well-organized and thoroughly vetted documents, including decision memos, briefing materials, schedules, correspondence, and speech drafts. The Staff Secretary collaborates closely with senior White House staff, to include the Office of the Executive Clerk, to review and edit these materials, ensuring they are ready for the President's consideration…and signature.

The Staff Secretary's role is crucial in maintaining the efficiency and effectiveness of presidential operations, acting as a gatekeeper to the Oval Office and ensuring that the President is equipped with the necessary information to make informed decisions.

In a classic case of “who done it,” here were your Staff Secretaries through Biden’s presidency. Two of which conveniently served in Susan Rice’s Domestic Policy Council.

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Jessica Hertz      January 20, 2021 - October 22, 2021

Neera Tanden       October 25, 2021 - May 26, 2023

Stefanie Feldman   May 26, 2023 - January 20, 2025

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As I mentioned, the process for autopen is recorded via email traffic on internal White House servers. The email chain ends with the Staff Secretary giving the final approval, in writing, via email stating, “Ready for AP.”

This is where the Executive Clerks Office, at and only at the discretion of the Staff Secretary, will print out the final draft of said document, print it on official White House bond paper, and carry the document straight upstairs to Records Management for autopen.

After signature the clerk will carry the document across the street to the West Wing, into the Staff Secretary office spaces positioned directly across from the Situation Room, and hand over the signed document.

From there the Clerk’s office composes an official press release to the White House Press Pool per the Staff Sec for dissemination — all steps I have done and seen myself.

Again, everything I described, is always tracked via email traffic from start to finish - all drafts, all edits, all steps for AP for each and every executive order, memo, you name it - are all tracked on the White House’s Microsoft Outlook.

So… any questions?

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We’ll end on something fun here - As a clerk, I learned that democrat presidents tend to utilize the AP more than republican presidents. Simply put, and a known, but President Trump in term one, exercised his original signature more than any president before him.