Former President Joe Biden has been granted an additional three weeks to prevent the release of audio recordings and transcripts linked to Special Counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into classified documents. A federal judge issued a temporary injunction while the case is being reviewed by a federal appeals court.
The recordings are from Biden’s interviews with Mark Zwonitzer, the ghostwriter of Biden’s 2017 memoir, “Promise Me, Dad.” U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, appointed by President Trump, provided the injunction after denying Biden’s request for a preliminary stop. This legal confrontation could decide if the recordings that influenced Hur’s decision not to prosecute Biden are ever made public.
Hur’s report from 2024 frequently cited Biden’s conversations with Zwonitzer. The special counsel portrayed some discussions as slow-paced and noted that Biden had difficulty remembering events. These observations have raised questions about Biden’s cognitive abilities, especially during an election year.
The Heritage Foundation, through its Oversight Project, has pursued these recordings via FOIA requests for over two years. They argue that the public has a vested interest in the materials, which were referenced in Hur’s report.
After Judge Friedrich’s decision to deny a preliminary injunction, Biden’s legal representatives moved quickly to seek emergency relief. They argue that releasing the recordings before an appellate review would mean the loss of any remaining privacy protections.
Former special counsel Robert Hur testified to Congress in 2024 about Biden’s handling of classified documents. Hur’s report concluded with insights into Biden’s memory challenges.
Biden’s attorneys maintain that there’s no urgent public need for disclosure of these decade-old conversations, noting that Biden is no longer in public office.
The Justice Department initially withheld the recordings but reversed that decision earlier this year, proposing their release with redactions due to significant public interest.
Biden’s legal challenge claims that releasing the recordings violates the Privacy Act. Amy Jeffress, a partner at Hecker Fink and former Justice Department official, leads the legal effort. Jeffress, married to Judge Christopher Cooper, has also attracted attention for potential conflicts of interest in Cooper’s rulings.