Biden Drops Lawsuit Over 2016-17 Memoir Audio as Appeals Court Backs Release
Updated
Updated · NBC Washington · Jul 25
Biden Drops Lawsuit Over 2016-17 Memoir Audio as Appeals Court Backs Release
3 articles · Updated · NBC Washington · Jul 25
Summary
Biden on July 25 voluntarily dismissed his lawsuit to stop release of audio and transcripts from 2016-17 memoir interviews, clearing the way for a Republican-led House committee to obtain them.
A divided D.C. appeals court had rejected his bid days earlier in a 2-1 ruling, finding the public interest in disclosing redacted materials outweighed Biden's remaining privacy concerns.
The recordings were made with ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer for "Promise Me, Dad" and were later obtained during Special Counsel Robert Hur's classified-documents investigation, which ended in 2024 without charges.
The fight began with a Heritage Foundation FOIA request; a district judge ruled in June that Justice Department redactions sufficiently protected sensitive personal information while favoring transparency.