A top aide to former president Joe Biden has testified before the House Oversight Committee that she was authorized to use the autopen signature device in her role as director of the White House Domestic Policy Council.

Neera Tanden told members of the Oversight Committee on Tuesday that she “was responsible for handling the flow of documents to and from the president” and was authorized to direct autopen use between Oct 2021 to May 2023 when she served as staff secretary and senior advisor to Biden.

Tanden was questioned behind closed doors for more than four hours and did not respond to questions from reporters after she emerged from the meeting.

Following the interview, Tanden told the Washington Examiner, “I was very happy to answer questions. I answered the questions,” adding that she was “happy to discuss my public service.”

When asked by reporters if she participated in a cover-up of Biden’s mental and physical health, Tanden snapped, “Absolutely not.”

Tanden is the first of a number of former Biden administration members who are called to appear before the committee this week.

The Oversight Committee is seeking answers as to “who was calling the shots” during Biden’s last two years in office and why the president’s signature on executive orders was increasingly replaced with the autopen device, even on days when Biden was physically in the White House.

Tanden affirmed that she oversaw many of the documents coming to and from the president’s desk but carefully avoided any admission of manipulation through use of the autopen, saying, “As staff secretary, I was responsible for handling the flow of documents to and from the president. I was also authorized to direct that autopen signatures be affixed to certain categories of documents. We had a system for authorizing the use of the autopen that I inherited from prior administrations. We employed that system throughout my tenure as staff secretary.”

The Oversight Committee says its research shows that on at least eight separate occasions, Biden used the autopen to sign executive orders on days when he was physically present at the White House.

Anthony Bernal, a senior advisor to former first lady Jill Biden, is scheduled to be interviewed by lawmakers on Thursday.