Donald Trump called Joe Biden a “dishonest politician” while commenting on Biden’s lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice.
Biden filed the lawsuit in an attempt to block the release of audio recordings and transcripts of interviews he gave in 2016–2017 while working on his memoir.
The materials concern conversations with literary editor Mark Zwonitzer for the 2017 book “Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose.” The recordings later became one of the key elements of the special counsel investigation that concluded in February 2024.
At the time, investigators concluded that Biden had “willfully retained and disclosed” classified documents, but recommended against bringing criminal charges against him.
In the new lawsuit, Biden is also seeking to block the transfer of the materials to the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation and to Republicans in Congress. The former president cites his right to privacy and accuses the Justice Department of unlawfully attempting to make the recordings public.
“President Biden—as any American—has a right to privacy regarding personal conversations that took place in his home,” the lawsuit states. It also emphasizes that the recordings were obtained by the Justice Department as part of a criminal investigation.
The filing submitted to a federal court in Washington states that the Justice Department notified Biden of its intention to transfer the audio recordings and transcripts to the Heritage Foundation and the House Judiciary Committee on June 15 unless the court blocks their release.