Judge Clears Release of 70 Hours of Biden Audio in Classified-Documents Case

3 articles · Updated · Newsweek · Jun 19

U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich ruled Friday that the Justice Department may release redacted audio recordings and transcripts tied to the classified-documents investigation to the Heritage Foundation and Congress.
The 70 hours of recordings came from Biden’s 2017 memoir interviews with ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer, and Friedrich said public interest in understanding why prosecutors declined charges outweighs Biden’s remaining privacy claims.
Biden had argued disclosure would invade privacy because the conversations took place at his home and touched on personal matters, but the judge said the edited material omits highly sensitive topics and non-public family members.
The tapes drew wider scrutiny after special counsel Robert Hur’s 2024 report described Biden as a "sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory," fueling demands from Republicans and conservatives for the audio itself.
Biden’s lawyers asked Friedrich to stay the order while they pursue an expedited appeal to the D.C. Circuit, and the DOJ has not said when the redacted files will be sent.