Trump Orders Probe Into Biden's Presidency, Alleges Health Cover-Up

President Donald Trump on Wednesday directed his administration to investigate Joe Biden's actions as president, alleging aides masked his predecessor's "cognitive decline" and casting doubts on the legitimacy of his use of the autopen to sign pardons and other documents.

- Associated Press

WASHINGTON:

The order marked a significant escalation in Trump's targeting of political adversaries and could lay the groundwork for arguments by the Republicans that a range of Biden's actions as president were invalid.

Biden responded in a statement on Wednesday night: "Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn't is ridiculous and false." The Justice Department under Democratic and Republican administrations has recognized the use of an autopen to sign legislation and issue pardons for decades, Trump presented no evidence that Biden was unaware of the actions taken in his name, and the president's absolute pardon power is enshrined in the US Constitution.