President Donald Trump criticized former President Joe Biden on Tuesday after Biden filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department (DOJ) to prevent the release of audio recordings and transcripts related to the special counsel investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents. Trump expressed his views on Truth Social, referring to Biden as a 'Crooked Politician.'
Biden's lawsuit, filed on Tuesday, aims to block the DOJ from releasing audio recordings and transcripts of his interviews with ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer, which were obtained during the investigation led by special counsel Robert Hur. Biden's legal team argued that the DOJ intends to share these files with Congress and the conservative Heritage Foundation, despite previously claiming they were exempt from disclosure under federal public records law.
In the lawsuit, Biden's attorneys stated that releasing the files would violate Biden's privacy rights, asserting that every American, including a former Vice President, has the right to privacy in personal conversations held in their home. They emphasized the DOJ's responsibility to protect such private information obtained through a criminal investigation.
The case centers on audio recordings and transcripts from Biden's interviews at his home in 2016 and 2017 with Zwonitzer, who collaborated with Biden on his memoirs. The investigation by Hur examined Biden's retention of classified documents from his tenure as a senator and vice president. Hur's yearlong investigation concluded with a report that questioned Biden's age and mental competence but did not recommend any criminal charges, citing insufficient evidence for prosecution.
Biden has also contested the release of audio from his interview with Hur. In 2024, the House voted to hold then-Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for not providing that audio after the White House claimed executive privilege. Transcripts from Biden's interviews with federal prosecutors were released last year, revealing that while Biden claimed to take classified information seriously, he was sometimes unclear about dates and details related to sensitive documents.
Republicans have argued that Biden has received leniency from his own Justice Department, while Democrats have highlighted Biden's cooperation with investigators, contrasting it with the criminal case against Trump, who faced accusations of not returning classified documents requested by the National Archives.