Biden sues Justice Department over planned release of memoir interview recordings and transcripts
The Facts
- Joe Biden sued the Justice Department in federal court in Washington to block the release of audio recordings and transcripts from interviews with ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer.
- The recordings and transcripts come from conversations Biden had with Zwonitzer in 2016 and 2017 while working on his 2017 memoir "Promise Me, Dad."
- The materials were later obtained and reviewed as part of special counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents.
- The Justice Department has indicated it plans to release the materials by June 15 to the House Judiciary Committee and the Heritage Foundation.
- The release fight matters because the records were previously treated by the Justice Department as exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, but Biden’s lawsuit says the department has reversed that position.
- Biden’s lawyers argue that releasing the files would invade his privacy because they contain private conversations that took place in his home.
- Heritage Foundation sought access to the records after they were used in the Hur investigation, and the dispute now turns on whether a court will allow the Justice Department to disclose them.
How left and right are reading this
- Both agree
- The undisputed core is the Justice Department’s apparent reversal on records it had long treated as exempt, turning this lawsuit into a test of whether material reviewed in an investigation can later be disclosed under a different rationale.
- They split on
- Less a disagreement than a question of emphasis: the privacy cost of releasing intimate conversations from Biden’s home, versus the institutional cost if the Justice Department changes its disclosure rules midstream.
Analytical frames for this storyTap to explore
Context
What records is Biden trying to keep from being released?
He is seeking to block release of about 70 hours of audio recordings and transcripts from his 2016 and 2017 conversations with ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer, which were conducted while preparing his memoir "Promise Me, Dad" Aol,CBS News,RT.
Why are these interviews tied to a classified-documents investigation?
Special counsel Robert Hur obtained the recordings and transcripts during his investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents, and the materials became part of that inquiry even though the conversations were originally for memoir work Boston Globe,BBC,Forbes.
What happens next?
The Justice Department has indicated it plans to release the materials by June 15 to the House Judiciary Committee and the Heritage Foundation, but Biden’s lawsuit asks a federal judge to stop that disclosure, so the immediate next step is a court decision on whether the release can proceed TIME,India Today,CBC News.
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Wire services (3)
Independent coverage (50)
UnivisionBiden demanda al Departamento de Justicia por la publicación...
CBS NewsBiden sues DOJ to block release of audio from biographer int...
Hoy DigitalJoe Biden demanda al Departamento de Justicia para impedir d...
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One America News NetworkTrump reacts to 'crooked' Biden's lawsuit to keep classified...
RadarOnline'A Crooked Politician': Trump Goes Nuclear on Biden After Ex...
TheBlazeTrump slams 'Crooked Politician' Biden over attempt to block...
Fox NewsGREGG JARRETT: Release the Biden tapes and let Americans hea...
El UniversalBiden presenta demanda para impedir difusión de conversacion...
CBS NewsBiden sues Justice Department to block release of audio file...
Prensa LibreBiden demanda al Departamento de Justicia de EE. UU. para im...
Honolulu Star AdvertiserFormer President Biden sues DOJ over release of interview au...
Noticias SINBiden demanda al Departamento de Justicia para frenar la dif...
The News JournalBiden sues DOJ over release of private conversations for 201...
LBCTrump slams Biden as a 'crooked politician' as former presid...
Deseret NewsBiden takes legal action against DOJ to protect private reco...
Democratic UndergroundBiden sues Justice Department to block release of files from...
Court House News ServiceBiden sues feds to block release of special counsel probe re...
The ColumbianEx-President Biden sues to stop DOJ sharing interview tapes
Democratic UndergroundTrump Calls Joe Biden 'Crooked Politician' After He Sues DOJ...
The Christian PostBiden sues to block release of interviews with ghostwriter: ...
KSBYBiden sues to stop Justice Department from releasing intervi...
UPIBiden sues to prevent release of conversations with ghostwri...
news24Joe Biden sues Department of Justice over release of interv...
RadarOnlineJoe Biden's Explosive Legal War: Ex-Prez Sues DOJ to Block R...
IOLJoe Biden sues US government
USA TodayBiden sues DOJ over release of private conversations for 201...
WNDBiden demands his audio tapes be concealed, now Trump respon...
ExcélsiorBiden demanda al Departamento de Justicia para frenar public...
El Diario Nueva YorkBiden demanda al Departamento de Justicia para bloquear publ...
El EconomistaBiden demanda al Departamento de Justicia para impedir que p...
South China Morning PostUS ex-president Biden sues DOJ over release of interview aud...
The Jerusalem PostFormer US president Biden sues DOJ over release of interview...
KTLA 5Biden files lawsuit to stop DOJ from releasing tapes
POLITICOBiden sues to stop Justice Department from releasing audio f...
WLWT5Biden sues to stop Justice Department from releasing intervi...
Pulse24.com Biden sues to stop U.S. Justice Department from releasing in...
BBCBiden sues US justice department to block release of recordi...
BBCBiden sues US justice department to block release of recordi...
WTOPBiden presenta demanda para impedir que el Departamento de J...
CNN EspañolBiden presenta demanda para impedir que el Departamento de J...
AolTrump slams 'crooked' Biden after ex-prez sues DOJ to halt r...
FOX 13 Tampa BayBiden sues DOJ to block release of his audio interviews
CNN InternationalBiden sues to stop Justice Department from releasing intervi...
The Daily CallerBiden Sues DOJ To Block Release Of Audio Files. Trump Respon...
RedstateTrump Slams Biden Lawsuit Aiming to Bury Special Counsel Aud...
PJ MediaWhat's He Got to Hide? Joe Biden Sues the DOJ to Keep Damagi...
BreitbartBiden Sues Trump DOJ to Bar Release of Recordings with Biogr...
The GuardianBiden sues justice department to block release of Hur interv...
Washington TimesBiden sues DOJ over releasing files related to classified in...
About these frames
The Watchdog: Wrongdoing, responsibility, corruption, transparency. Who knew what, when, and what they did about it.
The Advocate: Liberty, speech, privacy, autonomy, rights, consent, choice. What freedoms are at stake.
The Architect: Stability, law, enforcement, institutional design, separation of powers, regulatory process, rule of law. How are order and governance maintained?
The Guardian: Sanctity, degradation, bodily autonomy, moral boundaries, human dignity, bioethics, environmental purity. Where are the lines that should not be crossed?
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