Dunn: White House staff brought matters to Biden; memos, counsel and Reed handled executive processes

Anita Dunn described the White House process for preparing executive decisions and said staff generally brought recommendations to the president for his review and determination.

Dunn told the committee that executive orders and related policy matters generally moved through the relevant cabinet agencies and then to the White House lead on domestic policy (she named Bruce Reed) for final coordination. "By and large," she said, "executive orders were ' you know, we would discuss them at senior advisers, but by and large, that process was helmed by Bruce Reed."

On pardons and clemency, Dunn said the White House counsel's office led the process and developed recommendations that were then forwarded to the president. "Pardons and clemency that process was led by the White House counsel's office," she testified. She described staff-level discussions around clemency for certain federal drug offenses consistent with prior campaign commitments, and said she was not part of the president's private deliberations on the Hunter Biden pardon and did not recall being in discussions on that pardon.

Dunn said the president used a "decision book" and that memos and briefing materials were presented to him; she recalled providing him with decision memos on press statements and communications products. She denied authorizing use of an autopen for legislation and said she did not personally authorize autopen use, but noted that routine congratulatory letters "are routinely autopened."

Regarding the special counsel's report and the discovery of classified documents, Dunn said the White House counsel initially preferred working with DOJ and NARA to resolve the matter and that she was not interviewed by the special counsel; she said she later participated in communications planning after the report was released.