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

Episode Date: July 15, 2025

President Biden’s attempt to defend his end-of-term autopen pardons in a New York Times interview only fuels questions about his cognitive fitness and who was truly making decisions in his administration. As Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino returns to work after tensions with AG Pam Bondi, there are new hints that more disclosures may soon follow. President Trump announces a new plan where the U.S. will sell weapons to NATO allies for indirect delivery to Ukraine.CHEF iQ: Visit https://CHEFIQ.com and use code MK for 15% off during their FLASH SALERiverbend Ranch: Visit https://riverbendranch.com/ | Use promo code MEGYN for $20 off your first order. 

Good morning, everyone. I'm Megan Kelly. It's Tuesday, July 15th, 2025. And this is your AM Update. There's a reason you do an interview like that with a place like the New York Times. It's because the evidence is starting to come out and it doesn't look so good. President Biden raising more questions than answers in a brief interview with the New York Times regarding the auto pen. I believe 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. 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 toward supplying Ukraine with weapons. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update. The worst part of cooking meat, being chained to a scorching stove, sweating squinting through smoke, singeing your eyebrows only to serve something that's half jerky, half still mooing. Those days are over. Chef IQ Sense is a smart wireless cooking sensor

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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. 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 about what he was signing. I guarantee it. 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. 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 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. 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. 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 from Mr. Biden. 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 as 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 publishing the 10 minute audio of the interview probably leads any reasonable person to believe he probably didn't sound too sharp in that. 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. 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. 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 you if it were a Republican, they'd have both those things. They'd have some hysterical law professor saying this is an impeachable offense, and they have a Republican saying this needs to be investigated. It's absent from the story. It's madness. Mike Howell also says the New York Times reporting vindicates the Oversight Project's investigation, which the Times

has criticized in the past. 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 180 admitted 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 can't get better validation than when the opposition says you were right.

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 have happened, but we just don't think it was that bad. There's a reason you do an interview like that with the likes of 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. to come out and it doesn't look so good for what's left of the legacy of President Biden. Coming up, the Jeffrey Epstein story takes on a new twist and President Trump announcing a new arrangement in supplying weapons to Ukraine. I've been talking a lot about River Bend Ranch steaks lately and for good reason. The ranch is just a few miles from West Yellowstone, Montana where we go in the wintertime and their steaks are so flavorful and surprisingly tender. Even someone like me who does not

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And let me know what you think. RiverBendRanch.com promo code MEGAN. 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 JD Vance reportedly spending the weekend mediating between A.G. Bondi and Bongino. On Sunday, President Trump praising Bongino on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews. Oh, I think so. I did. I spoke to him today. Dan Bongino is a 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 he's in good shape. The Daily Wire's Ben Shapiro discussing Monday on the Megyn Kelly show the nature of the conflict between Deputy Director Bongino and A.G. Bondi. My understanding is that the actual outcome of the DOJ investigation is what we're seeing in the media. It's not a big deal. It's not a big deal.

It's not a big deal. It's not a big deal. It's not a big deal. It's not a big deal. It's not a big deal. The Megan Kelly Show, the nature of the conflict between Deputy Director Bongino and A.G. Bondi. 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. It 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 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. 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. 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 in 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 gonna trust my friends, Cash Patel, Dan Bongino, my friend, Pam Bondi, all these guys, Todd Blanch, I'm gonna trust them to solve it. Balls in their court. I think that there was plenty of, let's say, um, speeches that were directed towards this topic this last weekend. Monday afternoon on the Benny Johnson show, president Trump's daughter-in-law,

Laura Trump, teasing more information will be released. 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 doesn't 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 Last night Benny Johnson posting on X quote 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 U.S. policy towards supplying arms to Ukraine. The U.S. 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. The purpose of this is to say that there's 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 be purchased from the United States,

going to NATO, etc. 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. And that'll do it for your AM Update. I'm Megan Kelly. Join me back here for the

Megan Kelly Show live on Sirius XM Triumph Channel 111 at noon East on youtube.com slash Megan Kelly and on all podcast platforms.