Former President Joe Biden has filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department seeking to block the release of audio files and transcripts from interviews he conducted with a biographer before becoming president.
The materials are tied to interviews Biden gave to ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer in 2016 and 2017 while working on his memoir, “Promise Me, Dad.”
Those interviews later became part of special counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents.
Biden’s lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., seeks to prevent the Justice Department from releasing roughly 70 hours of audio and transcripts to the House Judiciary Committee and outside groups pursuing the records through Freedom of Information Act litigation.
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Biden’s legal team argues the materials are protected and exempt from disclosure.
The lawsuit comes after the Justice Department, now under the Trump administration, informed parties in related FOIA cases that it planned to release the files with redactions unless a court intervenes.
Biden had previously asserted executive privilege over the recordings in 2024 after House Republicans sought access to them.
The dispute revives one of the most politically sensitive parts of Hur’s classified documents investigation.
Hur’s 2024 report concluded that Biden had willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after leaving the vice presidency, but said there was not enough evidence to bring criminal charges.
The report also drew major political attention because of its descriptions of Biden’s memory and handling of sensitive information.
Classified documents were found in late 2022 and early 2023 at Biden’s Wilmington, Delaware, home and at his former private office at the Penn Biden Center in Washington.
Hur’s team interviewed 147 people during the probe, including Biden.
Republicans have long pushed for access to the full audio, arguing that the public and Congress should be able to review the material behind Hur’s findings.
Biden’s attorneys say the Justice Department changed its position under Trump without giving a formal explanation and is now preparing to release materials that had previously been withheld.
The case also comes amid continuing political comparisons between Biden’s classified documents investigation and the federal case against Trump involving documents found at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump was charged in that case, but the charges were dismissed after a judge ruled that special counsel Jack Smith had been unlawfully appointed.
After news of Biden’s lawsuit emerged, Trump attacked Biden on Truth Social and accused him of trying to hide the recordings.
The court will now decide whether the Justice Department can release the interview materials or whether Biden can block disclosure.
Why It Matters
The lawsuit could determine whether Congress and the public gain access to hours of Biden interview materials tied to the classified documents probe. It also reopens debate over executive privilege, transparency and political double standards in classified-records investigations.
What Comes Next
The Justice Department had planned to release the files with redactions unless a court blocks the move. Biden’s lawsuit now puts that release on hold pending a judicial decision.
A related post highlighted Trump’s reaction after Biden sued the Justice Department to block the release of audio and transcript files tied to the special counsel investigation.
President Trump posts that Biden is suing the DOJ to block release of the special counsel audio recordings.
2025: Sleepy Joe’s 2023 Hur interview audio which shows him confused about classified documents and the Cancer Moonshot. pic.twitter.com/3zc1XP3ruM
— Liz Churchill (@liz_churchill10) May 27, 2026
