politics
Appeals Court Pauses Release of Biden Interview Recordings
A federal appeals court granted a 10-day hold on the Justice Department’s plan to release audio of former President Biden’s interviews with his ghostwriter. The panel will decide by July 20 whether to extend the pause while Biden’s appeal continues.
Jul 10, 2:07 PM·1m read2 sources
Status quoDelay
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A federal appeals court on Friday temporarily blocked the Justice Department from releasing audio recordings of former President Joe Biden’s interviews with his ghostwriter. The three-judge panel ordered the department not to turn over the recordings to the Heritage Foundation and its former Oversight Project director until 11:59 p.m. on July 20.
Background of the recordings The recordings were made while Biden worked on his 2017 memoir with ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer. The Justice Department obtained them during a special counsel investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents. The Heritage Foundation first requested the recordings through a Freedom of Information Act filing in April 2024.
The Biden administration declined to release them, but the Trump administration later informed the group it planned to reverse that position. Biden sued to prevent disclosure, arguing the tapes captured private conversations inside his home. A district court rejected the claim last month and cleared the way for release.
Court’s temporary order The appeals court said the 10-day administrative pause is meant only to preserve the status quo while it reviews Biden’s request for a longer injunction. ” The former Oversight Project director told the Washington Examiner the group is “monitoring the situation” and will continue efforts to obtain the tapes.
Next steps The D.C.
Circuit is scheduled to decide before July 20 whether Biden is entitled to a longer injunction during his appeal. The recordings stem from roughly 70 hours of interviews conducted for Biden’s memoir Promise Me, Dad.
