Former President Joe Biden has filed a lawsuit to block the release of audio files and transcripts from interviews with a biographer, which were used in a special counsel investigation into his handling of classified documents.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeks to prevent the Justice Department from releasing about 70 hours of recordings to the House Judiciary Committee. The interviews were conducted in 2016 and 2017 with ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer for Biden’s 2017 memoir “Promise Me, Dad.”
Classified Documents Investigation
Biden’s lawsuit comes after the Justice Department indicated it would release the files, with redactions, to the committee and a conservative think tank, the Heritage Foundation, on June 15. The former president has maintained that the files are exempt from the Freedom of Information Act and has asserted executive privilege over the recordings.
The investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents began in 2023, after documents were found at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, and his former private office in Washington, D.C. Special counsel Robert Hur was appointed to investigate and released a report in 2024, determining that Biden had mishandled sensitive documents but lacked enough evidence to bring criminal charges.
The case has drawn comparisons to a separate classified documents investigation into President Trump, who was federally charged with mishandling classified documents but had the charges dismissed in 2024. The two cases have raised questions about the handling of sensitive government documents by high-ranking officials.
Implications and Reactions
The lawsuit has sparked a reaction from President Trump, who called Biden a “Crooked Politician” in a social media post. The case is likely to have implications for the ongoing debate over government transparency and the handling of classified documents.
The lawsuit is the latest development in a long-running saga over the release of the audio files and transcripts, with Biden’s attorneys arguing that the Justice Department has reversed its position on releasing the files without explanation. The outcome of the case will be closely watched, as it could set a precedent for the handling of sensitive government documents and the limits of executive privilege.
