Former President Joe Biden has initiated a lawsuit against the Justice Department to prevent the release of private audio recordings made during his collaboration with a ghostwriter on a memoir several years ago. The Justice Department plans to release the tapes and transcripts on June 15, following a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit from the Heritage Foundation filed in 2024, as well as a request from House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan in March 2026. Biden's lawsuit aims to permanently block the department from disclosing this information to the committee.
The recordings and transcripts are expected to be edited to protect privacy and will not include any classified information. The lawsuit claims that the Judiciary Committee's request is an attempt to expose Biden's conversations for improper purposes. The Justice Department notified Biden's legal team of Jordan's request on March 19, although the document was dated March 23.
The 70 hours of partially redacted audio recordings were obtained during special counsel Robert Hur's investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents in 2023. These materials were intended for Executive Branch use only, with the understanding that Biden would be informed in advance if they were to be disclosed to outside parties, including Congress. Hur ultimately decided not to pursue charges against Biden.