Topline
Former President Joe Biden sued the Justice Department in federal court on Tuesday to block the release of audio recordings linked to the special counsel probe into his handling of classified documents, prompting President Donald Trump to attack him.
Former U.S. President Joe Biden sued to block the DOJ from releasing his private transcripts and recordings that were part of a special counsel probe into his alleged mishandling of classified documents.
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Key Facts
In a suit filed in a federal court in DC, the former president is seeking to block the release of recordings and transcripts of his conversations with Mark Zwonitzer, the ghostwriter of his 2017 memoir “Promise Me, Dad”.
Special Counsel Robert Hur had obtained these recordings as part of his probe into Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents from his time as vice president and senator.
The filing seeks to block the DOJ’s plan to disclose “President Biden’s private information” to the House Judiciary Committee and the conservative Heritage Foundation, which had filed a FOIA request for the same information.
The filing argues that every American, a former Vice President, has a right to privacy “in the personal conversations he has within his own home.”
The Justice Department had previously withheld the release of these clips and transcripts, arguing they were exempt from disclosure, but the Trump DOJ plans to release them on June 15, according to the suit.
What Have Trump Officials Said?
The Justice Department has not yet publicly commented on Biden’s suit and its plans to release the transcripts and audio recordings. However, President Donald Trump shared a news story on his Truth Social platform about Biden’s suit and attacked the former president, writing: “A Crooked Politician!!!”
What Do We Know About The Recordings?
In the filing, Biden’s attorneys note that the recordings and transcripts of the former president’s “private, sensitive conversations with his writing partner, Mark Zwonitzer, which took place at President Biden’s home in 2016 and 2017.” The DOJ obtained these materials in 2023 after the special counsel probe was opened. The filing adds that Biden “cooperated fully in that investigation, and the Special Counsel ultimately concluded that criminal charges were not warranted.” The attorneys also argue that when the DOJ obtains private information for a criminal investigation, “the Department bears a particular responsibility to protect it from disclosure.”
Crucial Quote
In a bid to highlight the private nature of the conversations, the suit notes: “Zwonitzer recorded the conversations for his personal use in assisting President Biden with writing his memoir…both understood that the recordings would be used only for that purpose and would not be disseminated to the public.” The filing states that Biden recounted a year of his life beginning in Thanksgiving 2014 and adds it was “was among the most consequential of President Biden’s political life and the most painful of his personal life.” Biden and Zwonitzer discussed “a range of sensitive topics, including the role that [Biden’s son] Beau’s battle with cancer played in President Biden’s decision whether to run for President in 2016.”