Biden Autopen Scandal Deepens, New Epstein Disclosures Possible, Trump's NATO Plan: AM Update 7/15

Summary

The Megyn Kelly Show: Episode Summary Title: Biden Autopen Scandal Deepens, New Epstein Disclosures Possible, Trump's NATO Plan: AM Update 7/15
Host: Megyn Kelly (SiriusXM)
Release Date: July 15, 2025

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1. Biden Autopen Scandal Deepens

Overview:
The episode delves into the escalating controversy surrounding President Biden's use of an autopen—a mechanical device replicating his signature—to grant commutations and pardons during the final weeks of his administration. This practice has ignited debates about President Biden's cognitive abilities and the transparency of his administration's decision-making processes.

Key Points & Discussions:

• Evidence and Investigations:
  A critical report by The New York Times revealed extensive use of the autopen, excluding only the unusual blanket pardon of Hunter Biden, which President Biden signed personally. This revelation has prompted multiple investigations into the extent and oversight of the autopen's usage within the White House.

  Political Analyst [00:40]: "There's a reason you do an interview like that with a place like the New York Times because the evidence is starting to come out and it doesn't look so good."

• President Biden's Response:
  In an interview with The New York Times, President Biden asserted that he had orally granted all pardons and commutations, rebutting claims that his aides unilaterally used the autopen without his authorization.

  Megyn Kelly [02:39]: "Former President Biden in an apparent attempt to defend himself from these accusations, raising even more questions with the Times from The report, quote, Mr. Biden said that he had orally granted all the pardons and commutations issued at the end of his term..."

• Critics and Supporters:
  Former aide Mike Howell of the Oversight Project criticized the routine use of the autopen, highlighting the lack of direct evidence of President Biden's approval for specific pardons.

  Mike Howell [05:49]: "There's nothing routine about the frequency of autopen usage in the Biden administration... there is no direct written proof that former President Biden approved and directed them."

• Former President Trump's Stance:
  President Trump labeled the autopen usage as one of the biggest scandals in decades, asserting that Biden was unaware of the content he was signing.

  Donald Trump [05:19]: "The autopen, I think is maybe one of the biggest scandals that we've had in 50 to 100 years. This is a tremendous scandal. I guarantee you. He knew nothing, nothing about what he was signing. I guarantee it."

• Media and Legal Community's Reaction:
  Mark Halperin from MK Media criticized The New York Times for omitting reactions from law professors and Republicans, suggesting biased reporting.

  Mark Halperin [07:03]: "As a matter of journalism, and I guarantee if it were Republican, they'd have both those things. They'd have some hysterical law professor saying this is an impeachable offense, and they'd have a Republican saying this needs to be investigated. It's absent from the story."

2. New Epstein Disclosures Possible

Overview:
The longstanding Jeffrey Epstein case resurfaces with indications of potential new disclosures despite a leaked DOJ memo suggesting closure. Internal conflicts within the Department of Justice (DOJ) and pressure from powerful figures are fueling expectations of further revelations.

Key Points & Discussions:

• DOJ Memo and Conflicting Reports:
  An unsigned DOJ memo indicated the Epstein case was closed with no further disclosures. However, contradictory reports from sources like FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino suggest ongoing investigations.

  Megyn Kelly [10:53]: "The Jeffrey Epstein story isn't going anywhere, not anytime soon at least, despite the unsigned leaked DOJ memo indicating the case is closed and that there will be no further disclosures."

• Internal DOJ Conflict:
  Dan Bongino has reportedly clashed with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the handling of the Epstein case, leading to his taking a personal day amidst growing tensions.

  Ben Shapiro [11:57]: "Pam Bondi pretty clearly to the public made a bunch of statements that were unrepresentative of the final DOJ FBI memo that was released."

• Pressure for Transparency:
  Influential figures like Ben Shapiro and Charlie Kirk advocate for greater transparency, calling for a special counsel and comprehensive press briefings to address the Epstein matter thoroughly.

  Ben Shapiro [11:57]: "If Pam Bondi pretty clearly to the public made a bunch of statements that were unrepresentative of the final DOJ FBI memo that was released... that's my understanding of this dispute."

  Charlie Kirk [13:19]: "I would trust my friends in the government to do what needs to be done, solve it. Balls in their hands... I would love to see the DOJ move to unseal the grand jury testimony."

• Lara Trump's Hints and Media Speculation:
  Lara Trump hinted at the release of more information, while Benny Johnson reported that top federal law enforcement sources are pushing for significant disclosures.

  Political Commentator [14:09]: "I believe that there will probably be more coming on this and I believe anything that they are able to release that doesn't damage any witnesses or anyone underage or anything like that, I believe they'll probably try to get out sooner rather than later."

  Benny Johnson [14:57]: "The change in approach to Epstein has been dramatic. Expect more disclosures."

3. Trump's NATO Plan: US Supplying Weapons to Ukraine via NATO Allies

Overview:
President Trump announced a substantial shift in US military policy, directing the sale of $10 billion worth of weapons to NATO allies, who will subsequently supply Ukraine. This move signifies a strategic pivot to bolster Ukraine's defense capabilities amidst ongoing conflicts.

Key Points & Discussions:

• Details of the Weapon Supply:
  The initial wave includes missiles, air defense systems, and artillery shells, emphasizing the scale and urgency of the support provided to Ukraine.

  Axios Report [Throughout Transcript]: "The first wave of purchases will be worth about 10 billion, including missiles, air defense weaponry and artillery shells."

• President Trump's Remarks:
  Trump highlighted the quality of American military equipment and its critical role in enhancing Ukraine's defense.

  Donald Trump [15:47]: "The purpose of this is to say that this is a very big deal we've made. This is billions of dollars worth of military equipment is going to be purchased from the United States... Ukraine will take it up and... we do make the best planes and missiles and we make the best military equipment in the world by far."

• Strategic Implications:
  The announcement underscores a reinforced commitment to NATO allies and indicates a structured approach to supporting Ukraine through established military channels.

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Conclusion

In this episode, Megyn Kelly navigates through significant political controversies and strategic military decisions shaping the current landscape. The deepening Biden autopen scandal raises critical questions about presidential authority and transparency, while the Epstein case hints at unresolved complexities within the DOJ. Concurrently, President Trump's aggressive military strategy signals a robust stance in support of NATO allies and Ukraine. These discussions provide listeners with a comprehensive understanding of the pressing issues influencing American politics and international relations as of July 2025.

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Notable Quotes:

• Donald Trump [05:19]: "The autopen, I think is maybe one of the biggest scandals that we've had in 50 to 100 years. This is a tremendous scandal. I guarantee you. He knew nothing, nothing about what he was signing. I guarantee it."

• Mark Halperin [07:03]: "As a matter of journalism... They'd have some hysterical law professor saying this is an impeachable offense, and they'd have a Republican saying this needs to be investigated. It's absent from the story."

• Ben Shapiro [11:57]: "...Pam Bondi pretty clearly to the public made a bunch of statements that were unrepresentative of the final DOJ FBI memo that was released."

• Charlie Kirk [13:19]: "Balls in their hands. I think that there was plenty of, let's say, speeches that were directed towards this topic this last weekend."

• Donald Trump [15:47]: "We do make the best planes and missiles and we make the best military equipment in the world by far."

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For more updates and in-depth discussions, tune into The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM Triumph Channel 111 at noon ET, available on YouTube and all major podcast platforms.

Transcript

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[Megyn Kelly]

Good morning everyone. I'm Megyn Kelly. It's Tuesday, July 15, 2025, and this is your AM update.

[Political Analyst]

There's a reason you do an interview like that with a place like the New York Times because the evidence is starting to come out and it doesn't look so good.

[Megyn Kelly]

President Biden raising more questions than answers in a brief interview with the New York Times regarding the auto pen.

[Political Commentator]

I believe that that there will probably be more coming on this and I believe anything that they are able to release, I believe they'll probably try to get out sooner rather than later.

[Megyn Kelly]

The Epstein story lives on, following massive outcry from Trump allies. New reporting indicates more disclosures may be on the way. And President Trump announces a dramatic shift in US Policy towards supplying Ukraine with weapons. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update.

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[Megyn Kelly]

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[Megyn Kelly]

Late Sunday night, the New York Times dropping a bombshell in the Biden auto pen story during the final weeks of the Biden administration, the White House granting commutations and pardons to thousands of individuals. These acts of clemency all signed with the auto pen, a mechanical device used to replicate the President's signature. The lone exception was the unprecedented Hunter Biden blanket pardon, which the President personally signed. At present, there are multiple investigations into the extensive use of the auto pen within the Biden White House. Critics pointing to clear signs of Mr. Biden's cognitive decline and raising questions about who was making key decisions in his administration. Former President Biden in an apparent attempt to defend himself from these accusations, raising even more questions with the Times from The report, quote, Mr. Biden said that he had orally granted all the pardons and commutations issued at the end of his term, calling President Trump and other Republicans liars for claiming his aides had used an auto pen to do so without his authorization. The Biden White House targeting thousands for commutations, including reducing the prison time of about 2,500 so called nonviolent drug offenders and turning 37 death sentences to life without parole. And of course, a set of preemptive pardons for the members of the staff of the January 6th House Select Committee, Dr. Fauci, General Mark Milley and certain members of the Biden family. The Times finding the auto pen was managed by White House Staff Secretary Stephanie Feldman after assistance to key Biden aides including Chief of Staff Jeff Zients and White House Counsel Ed Siskel would draft, quote, blurbs describing President Biden's instructions. The Times noting, quote, the assistants who drafted the blurbs were not themselves in the room with Mr. Biden. According to the lists of meeting participants, the emails from the Biden White House imply that Mr. Siskel and Mr. Zients relayed what Mr. Biden had said to the assistants who then documented it. In other words, for pardons like that of Dr. Fauci and the January 6th Committee, there is no direct written proof that former President Biden approved and directed them. Meanwhile, the Times reporting one former aide saying the list of inmates provided by the Bureau of Prisons kept changing and quote, rather than ask Mr. Biden to keep signing revised versions, his staff waited and then ran the final version through the auto pen, which they saw as routine procedure. President Trump, who previously ordered an investigation into the Biden White House's use of the auto pen on Monday from the Oval Office reacting to the latest reporting.

[Donald Trump]

The auto pen, I think is maybe one of the biggest scandals that we've had in 50 to 100 years. This is a tremendous scandal. I guarantee you. He knew nothing, nothing about what he was signing. I guarantee it.

[Megyn Kelly]

We spoke to Mike Howell, president of nonprofit governmental watchdog the Oversight Project, the group responsible for discovering the widespread use of the auto pen, about these latest revelations. Howell says nothing about the Biden White House's auto pen process was routine.

[Political Analyst]

There's nothing routine about the frequency of auto pen usage in the Biden administration. And there's nothing routine about the level of incapacitation we saw out of President Biden, which the whole country witnessed when he malfunctioned on stage at the debate, when they finally let him out unsupervised for a couple hours. And there's also nothing routine about President Biden being in the White House and signing some things and not signing others. There's nothing routine about Neera Tanden's testimony where she said as staff secretary she would rarely even see the president when she was the one in charge of moving the paper and limiting legal liability and things like this massive scandal of the century. There's nothing routine about some setting up, quote, unquote, decision memos to the president and then getting an initial back without seeing the president actually approve it and then spitting out an executive order, which for all we know, may not have even matched what was in the decision memo. Now, President Trump has said maybe Biden didn't even know he opened the border. And I think, you know, when you have this kind of process that really buttresses the argument that maybe he didn't actually know what was spitting out of these executive orders.

[Megyn Kelly]

The New York Times separately releasing a write up containing excerpts of its 10 minute phone call with President Biden. The short blurbs containing many verbal stumbles and fragmented thoughts. Howell accuses the Times of running cover for Mr. Biden.

[Political Analyst]

It's like a 10 minute interview. I wonder why the New York Times didn't publish the audio of it. That's pretty curious of them. I would love to know how President Biden sounded in that because also a key element here is his capacity altogether. You know, it's his awareness of what was being done is one separate question from the fact of whether he was mentally there to sign off on those things. And so they don't address that issue whatsoever. And I think them not not publishing the 10 minute audio of the interview probably leads any reasonable person to believe he probably didn't sound too sharp in that.

[Megyn Kelly]

MK Media star Mark Halperin, host of Next up with Mark Halperin, questioning why the Times did not round out its piece with reaction from the appropriate people.

[Mark Halperin]

It's like, That's Basic Journalism 101. Biden is now taking the position that he could delegate pardons. Right? That's the position they took in the story. Everything else is fine. That's the one thing. So what do law professors think about that? What do Republicans think about that? It's absent from the story. I don't understand that. As a matter of journalism, and I guarantee if it were Republican, they'd have both those things. They'd have some hysterical law professor saying this is an impeachable offense, and they'd have a Republican saying this needs to be investigated. It's absent from the story. It's madness.

[Megyn Kelly]

Mike Howell also says the New York Times reporting vindicates the Oversight Project's investigation, which the Times has criticized in the past.

[Political Analyst]

In March, the New York Times published a piece calling us or our investigation and conspiracy theory. And so last night, I guess they did a full 180admitted we were right and they were wrong. I mean, it's clear their intent in that piece was trying to control the damage to the Biden legacy. But I don't think it was effective in that. I think this is absolute validation. You know, you can't get better validation than when the opposition says you were right. I mean, I knew we were right from day one. But when even the New York Times says you were right, it's, you know, you kind of dismiss any objections that may remain out there. They're just trying to say, oh, well, now we do admit it would happen, but we just don't think it was that bad. There's a reason you do an interview like that with the place like the New York Times. It's because, people, the evidence is starting to come out and it doesn't look so good for what's left of the legacy of President Biden.

[Megyn Kelly]

Coming up, the Jeffrey Epstein story takes on a new twist. And President Trump announcing a new arrangement in supplying weapons to Ukraine.

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[Megyn Kelly]

The Jeffrey Epstein story isn't going anywhere, not anytime soon at least, despite the unsigned leaked DOJ memo indicating the case is closed and that there will be no further disclosures. CNN reporting two sources confirm FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino did report to work on Monday, though Bongino's long term future as deputy director appears uncertain. Bongino reportedly taking a personal day on Friday following clashes with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the handling of the Epstein story. Vice President J.D. vance reportedly spending the weekend mediating between AG Bondi and Bongino. On Sunday, President Trump praising Bongino on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews oh, I think so.

[Donald Trump]

I did. I spoke to him today. Dan Bongino, very good guy. I've known him a long time. I've done his show many, many times and he sounded terrific. Actually, no, I think in good shape.

[Megyn Kelly]

The Daily Wire's Ben Shapiro discussing Monday on the Megyn Kelly show the nature of the conflict between Deputy Director Bongino and AG Bondi.

[Ben Shapiro]

My understanding is that the actual outcome of the DOJ investigation is properly stated in that memo. What he's upset about is if you oversell the story and you create a deliverable for the FBI and then the FBI doesn't deliver, then that falls on Cash Patel and Dan Bongino. And so Pam Bondi basically did that. She went out there and ran her mouth without the actual goods to back it up. And then when it turns out that it's Geraldo Rivera safe, then of course it makes Dan look bad, it makes Cash look bad, makes the president look bad and all the rest. That's my understanding of this dispute. And if that's the nature of the dispute, then obviously I'm very much on Dan Bongino side and Cash Patel's side because again, I think that Pam Bondi pretty clearly to the public made a bunch of statements that were unrepresentative of the final DOJ FBI memo that was released. There is no way that Pam Bondi should not be doing a press conference where she at least answers that question. At the very least, I need to hear it from their mouth that this is that we're releasing everything that can be released.

[Megyn Kelly]

Many Trump allies concurring with Shapiro's view that AG Bondi could quell much of this criticism by holding an exhaustive press conference or sitting with someone like your humble reporter. Turning Point USA founder and informal advisor to President Trump Charlie Kirk Monday on his show offering some leniency to the administration after a weekend of people criticizing them at his Turning Point event, but stressing that the administration's handling of the Epstein matter so far falls short.

[Charlie Kirk]

Plenty was said this last weekend at our event about Epstein. Honestly, I'm done talking about Epstein for the time being. I'm going to trust my friends, the administration. I'm going to trust my friends in the government to do what needs to be done, solve it. Balls in their hands. But let me just say this again, everyone knows my opinion about the Epstein thing, the messaging fumble. I would love to see the DOJ move to unseal the grand jury testimony. I think that would be a big win. I would love to see that. And I'm going to trust my friends Cash Patel, Dan Bongino, my friend Pam Bondi, all these guys, I'm going to Todd Blanche, I'm going to trust them to solve it. Balls in their court. I think that there was plenty of, let's say, speeches that were directed towards this topic this last weekend.

[Megyn Kelly]

Monday afternoon on the Benny Johnson Show, President Trump's daughter in law Lara Trump teasing more information will be released.

[Political Commentator]

I do think that there needs to be more transparency on this and I think that that will happen. I mean, look, I don't know what truly exists there, but I know that this is something that's important to the President as well. He does want transparency on all these fronts that everything we're talking about because it's frustrated him as well as it relates to the President. I know that this is probably not his number one thing he's focused on, but he hears all the noise and he hears all of the consternation out there and I think he's going to want to set things right as well. So I believe that there will probably be more coming on this and I believe anything that they are able to release that doesn't damage any witnesses or anyone underage or anything like that, I believe they'll probably try to get out sooner rather than later because they hear it and they understand it.

[Megyn Kelly]

Last night, Benny Johnson posting on X, just got off the phone with top federal law enforcement contact. The change in approach to Epstein has been dramatic. Expect more disclosures. Some very powerful people inside administration are now pushing for a special counsel and a full press briefing on Epstein findings. We'll have new reporting on this today on the Megyn Kelly show. And throughout the week, President Trump announcing a shift in US Policy towards support the US Will begin selling weapons to NATO allies who will then send those supplies to Ukraine. Axios reporting the first wave of purchases will be worth about 10 billion, including missiles, air defense weaponry and artillery shells. President Trump on Monday from the Oval with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte signaling a shift in favor of Ukraine with this new deal.

[Donald Trump]

The purpose of this is to say that this is a very big deal we've made. This is billions of dollars worth of military equipment is going to be purchased from the United States, going to NATO, et cetera. That's going to be quickly distributed to the battlefield. Ukraine will take it up and, you know, say what you want about Ukraine. When the war started, they had no chance and they still would have had no chance if the equipment, they had the best equipment because we do make the best planes and missiles and we make the best military equipment in the world by far.

[Megyn Kelly]

And that'll do it. For your AM update, I'm Megan Kelly. Join me back here for the Megan Kelly show live on SiriusXM Triumph Channel 111 at noon east on YouTube.com Megan Kelly and on all podcast platforms.

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