Biden sues US justice department to block release of recordings

Biden sues US justice department to block release of recordings16 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleKayla EpsteinGetty ImagesJoe Biden speaks at an event for South Carolina Democrats in February 2026.Former US President Joe Biden has sued the federal government to block the release of interviews with his memoir's ghostwriter, which he has described as "private information" but could contain embarrassing details about his memory.Special Counsel Robert Hur obtained the recordings and transcripts while investigating Biden's handling of classified documents.Hur found Biden improperly retained records, but he did not recommend charges. His report, released in 2024, also raised questions about Biden's fitness for office.The justice department has accused the prior administration of trying to "hide audio recordings that clearly demonstrate a significant decline" in Biden's mental state.Five things in the Biden classified documents reportHur will defend Biden remarks when he faces CongressHouse Republicans and a conservative think tank requested the memoir interview records in 2024, and the justice department has indicated they will release them by 15 June.As part of drafting his 2017 memoir Promise Me, Dad, Biden spoke with co-writer Mark Zwonitzer about events surrounding the death of his elder son Beau in 2015.Hur said in his report, citing recordings with Zwonitzer, that during the interviews Biden referred to notes he had taken while serving as vice-president, some of which appeared to contain classified information. The special counsel observed in the report that "Mr Biden's memory also appeared to have significant limitations" and he described the interviews with Zwonitzer as "painfully slow, with Mr Biden struggling to remember events and straining at times to read and relay his own notebook entries".Hur's report caused a firestorm in Washington and put a spotlight on Biden's age...