U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich Rejects Biden Bid to Block Ghostwriter Recordings

U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich ruled that the public interest in former President Joe Biden’s 2017 recordings with his ghostwriter outweighs any privacy concerns, denying Biden’s request to block their release to a conservative group. The recordings were obtained by special counsel Robert Hur during his investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents while he was a senator and vice president. Congressional Republicans demanded the tapes after Hur declined to file charges, and the Biden administration’s refusal to turn them over led to a contempt vote against Attorney General Merrick Garland. The judge noted the material contains no sensitive personal information.