President Trump orders an investigation into Joe Biden and his alleged use of the autopen

President Trump directed an investigation into Joe Biden and officials in the former president's administration, accusing aides of using “autopen” signatures to cover his "cognitive decline," assert presidential power.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday directed a wide-ranging investigation into former President Joe Biden and officials in his administration, accusing his aides of using “autopen” signatures to cover up his "cognitive decline" and assert presidential power.

Trump frequently uses Biden as a political foil and has sought to undo a number of policies from his predecessor's administration since he returned to office.

The announcement Wednesday directs the White House counsel and Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate whether anyone "conspired to deceive the public about Biden's mental state and unconstitutionally exercise the authorities and responsibilities of the President." It is an escalation of an issue that Trump and his allies have frequently raised, possibly paving the way for Republicans to argue that many of Biden’s actions as president were invalid.

"This conspiracy marks one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history," Trump wrote in a memo. "The American public was purposefully shielded from discovering who wielded the executive power, all while Biden’s signature was deployed across thousands of documents to effect radical policy shifts."

Trump has acknowledged using the autopen himself in office. In March, he said he turned to it “only for very unimportant papers,” such as responses to letters.