President Biden Seeks Court Block of DOJ Release of 70‑Hour Ghostwriter Audiotapes
President Joe Biden’s attorneys have filed a court motion to intervene and stop the Justice Department from releasing redacted transcripts and about 70 hours of audio recordings of Biden’s 2017 conversations with his book ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer. The recordings were obtained by Special Counsel Robert Hur during his investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents, including alleged storage in a garage and at the Penn Biden Center.
The DOJ plans to disclose the material in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the Heritage Foundation, with a possible release delayed until June 15 if Biden objects. In the filing the department noted, “President Biden, through counsel, has advised the Department that he intends to seek to intervene to prevent any such disclosures.”
Biden spokesperson TJ Ducklo called the move “politics, not transparency,” and accused the administration of selective disclosure, pointing to the pending Trump‑related Special Counsel report as a contrast. The audio includes discussions where Biden reportedly read classified passages verbatim, raising further questions about his handling of sensitive information and the scope of executive privilege.
The legal contest underscores the broader partisan dispute over the handling and public release of classified material involving a sitting president.