The Department of Justice released audio recordings of former President Joe Biden speaking with his memoir ghostwriter on Monday, after his legal team withdrew court challenges to block their release.
The tapes, totaling roughly 70 hours cited in Special Counsel Robert Hur's 2024 report, were handed over to the House Judiciary Committee and the conservative group Oversight Project.
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District Judge Tanya Chutkan granted a voluntary dismissal of Biden's emergency request, ending a two-year legal battle.
Hur had investigated Biden's handling of classified material but declined to pursue criminal charges, citing insufficient evidence of intentional retention.
Recordings Reveal Discussions of Classified Notes
The released recordings capture conversations from 2016 and 2017 while Biden was working on his memoir, including references to classified notes kept at his personal residence.
In one recording, Biden told his ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer, "They didn't even know I had this," while showing notes on foreign policy from his vice presidency.
In another exchange from October 2016, Biden said, "I have extensive notes over this period of time… They didn't know I have this."
A February 2017 recording captured Biden saying, "I just found all of the classified stuff downstairs.
I wrote the President a handwritten 40-page memorandum arguing against deploying additional troops to Afghanistan."
Biden also expressed caution while reviewing materials, saying, "Some of this may be classified … So, be careful. I'm not sure ...
It's not marked classified but —."
