Poli Alert Politics & Civics
Related Articles
Former President Joe Biden sued the Department of Justice this week in an effort to block the release of dozens of hours of audio recordings tied to the now-closed investigation into his handling of classified documents.
At the center of the lawsuit are roughly 70 hours of audio recordings and transcripts dating back to 2017 involving conversations between Biden and author Mark Zwonitzer, who worked with Biden on a memoir about the death of his son, Beau Biden. The recordings were obtained by the Justice Department during former Special Counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into Biden’s handling of classified materials.
The legal battle stems from a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the conservative The Heritage Foundation, which has sought access to the recordings and argues they contain evidence that Biden mishandled classified information.
Biden’s attorneys argued in the filing that the Justice Department cannot lawfully release the recordings and accused the Trump administration of using the issue for political purposes.
“The DOJ themselves have said these tapes serve no public interest. What’s happening now isn’t about transparency. It’s about politics,” Biden spokesperson TJ Ducklo said in a statement.
Ducklo also accused the administration of selective transparency, arguing that if officials were truly committed to openness they would release the second volume of former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report tied to President Donald Trump and his handling of classified documents.
The Justice Department originally obtained the recordings as part of Hur’s investigation, which concluded without criminal charges against Biden. According to the complaint, Biden fully cooperated with investigators throughout the probe.
The lawsuit states that the Justice Department had previously determined the audio files should remain private before reversing course under the Trump administration.
Biden has consistently denied sharing classified information with Zwonitzer. His legal team argued the conversations were deeply personal discussions connected to the writing of his memoir, “Promise Me, Dad,” which focused heavily on Beau Biden’s battle with brain cancer and the emotional toll it took on the family.
“President Biden and Zwonitzer recorded their conversations for use in writing Promise Me, Dad, and they both understood that they were speaking privately,” the complaint states.
The filing also describes the period surrounding the recordings as one in which Biden’s public and private life became intertwined amid political pressures and family tragedy.
Trump responded angrily to the lawsuit in a post on Truth Social, calling Biden “A Crooked Politician!!!”
The case adds another legal and political clash between Biden and the Trump administration as the Justice Department continues to revisit investigations and records tied to Biden’s presidency.
