Biden Asserts Executive Privilege Over Hur Interview Recordings

Former President Joe Biden sued the Justice Department on Tuesday to prevent the release of audio recordings and transcripts from interviews he gave during a special counsel investigation into classified materials. S. , seeks to block the materials from being turned over to the Heritage Foundation and the House Judiciary Committee.

The Department has indicated it plans to release the records on June 15 unless a court intervenes.

" They were obtained by the Justice Department as part of the probe led by former special counsel Robert Hur, which concluded in February 2024. " The materials included documents about military and foreign policy in Afghanistan and notebooks with handwritten entries on national security issues. The special counsel recommended no criminal charges despite the findings.

Biden's suit argues that the recordings are protected by privacy rights because they were obtained through a criminal investigation. " The lawsuit follows Biden's intervention in a separate Freedom of Information Act case brought by the Heritage Foundation.

Biden's attorneys said the current Justice Department reversed an earlier position against release without formal explanation beginning in February. Some redacted transcripts have already been made public. The full audio and transcripts remain under seal pending the court's decision.