Former President Joe Biden has filed a lawsuit to prevent the release of audio recordings and transcripts from a 2017 interview with Mark Zwonitzer, who was writing a book about the death of Biden’s son Beau.
The recordings, which include approximately 70 hours of footage and transcripts, were obtained by then-Special Counsel Robert Hur during his investigation into alleged illegal retention and dissemination of classified materials. The Heritage Foundation initiated the lawsuit by filing a Freedom of Information Act request for the audio.
Biden’s legal team argues that releasing the recordings would be purely politically motivated. “The DOJ themselves have said these tapes serve no public interest,” stated Biden spokesperson TJ Ducklo in a statement. “What’s happening now isn’t about transparency. It’s about politics.”
Ducklo further noted: “If this administration were genuinely committed to transparency, they would release Volume 2 of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on Donald Trump’s own alleged mishandling of classified documents.”
The interview occurred during Biden’s presidency and became the subject of scrutiny after Republicans highlighted his memory lapses during interviews with Special Counsel Robert Hur. In February 2024, Biden criticized a report about his conduct but made an embarrassing public misstatement that was broadcast nationally.
President Donald Trump criticized Biden’s lawsuit on Truth Social, labeling him “a Crooked Politician,” and later told reporters: “The man was grossly incompetent… We can never let it happen again.”
