Former President Biden Sues DOJ to Block Release of Private Audio Recordings

Central News Agency (Washington, 26th) Former US President Joe Biden filed a lawsuit today against the Department of Justice to block the release of private audio recordings and transcripts of conversations he had with his biographer in 2016 and 2017. According to Reuters, Biden filed the suit in a federal court in Washington, D.C. The DOJ plans to provide the materials to the House Judiciary Committee and the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation on June 15. The Heritage Foundation is seeking the records because they were cited during Special Counsel Robert Hur's 2023 investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents. Hur ultimately did not bring criminal charges against Biden. According to the complaint, the DOJ had previously denied the Heritage Foundation's request in 2024, citing that the records were not subject to the Freedom of Information Act. However, the department changed its stance after the Trump administration took office, stating it would release the materials as requested by the Judiciary Committee. Biden's legal team argues that the committee's request is an attempt to circumvent federal laws that limit the disclosure of such materials, and they are asking the court to declare the request "unjustified and invalid" while permanently enjoining the delivery of the records to the committee. The recordings were made at Biden's home as part of the writing process for his 2017 memoir, "Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose," which details his decision to run for president while his eldest son, Beau Biden, was battling brain cancer.