Joe Biden has sued the Department of Justice to stop the dissemination of personal audio recordings.
The former U.S. president's side states that providing these materials to Congress and certain organizations constitutes an invasion of his personal privacy.
Former US President Joe Biden has sued the Department of Justice to prevent the disclosure of audio recordings and transcripts obtained during an investigation into classified documents. AP reported this.
According to reports, in a lawsuit filed in the Washington federal court, Biden's side stated that the department plans to provide these materials to Congress and the conservative "Heritage Foundation" organization. Lawyers argue that this constitutes an unwarranted intrusion into Biden's personal life.
The lawsuit pertains to audio recordings and transcripts of conversations Biden held at his home with writer Mark Zvonitser in 2016–2017. Zvonitser was working on the former president's memoirs. These materials were later examined during a special counsel investigation led by Robert Hur into Biden's handling of classified documents.
Biden's lawyers emphasized that "every American, including a current or former vice president, has the right to the privacy of their personal conversations." In their view, the Department of Justice has an obligation to protect such information obtained during a criminal investigation.
A 345-page report prepared at the conclusion of the year-long investigation led by Robert Hur raised questions about Biden's age and memory, but no criminal charges were filed against him. The special counsel stated that sufficient evidence to prove charges in court was not found.
Biden had previously opposed the release of audio recordings of his interview with Hur. In 2024, the House of Representatives voted to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress. This was due to the White House invoking executive privilege to withhold the audio recordings from Congress.
Meanwhile, transcripts of the five-hour interview with federal prosecutors were made public. They noted that Biden could not clearly recall certain dates and details.
Republicans have argued that Biden is being protected by his own Department of Justice. Democrats, emphasizing that the former president cooperated with the investigation, compare this situation to the separate criminal case involving classified documents against Donald Trump.
