politics
Judge Denies Biden Request to Block Release of Ghostwriter Recordings
A federal district court denied former President Biden's request for a preliminary injunction, allowing the Department of Justice to release redacted transcripts and audio recordings of his conversations with ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer to the Heritage Foundation. The stay expires around July 10, 2026.
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The court found that Biden is not likely to succeed on claims that his privacy interests outweigh the public interest in disclosure. The stay remains in place until on or about July 10, 2026, giving the Circuit Court of Appeals time to consider an injunction pending appeal.
The Heritage Foundation filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Department of Justice in March 2024 seeking the Zwonitzer materials. In a May 8 filing, the Department of Justice stated it intended to disclose the redacted written transcripts and audio recordings to Congress and the Heritage Foundation.
Biden filed a separate lawsuit last month seeking to block release of the same recordings and transcripts to the House Judiciary Committee. The court in that separate case has not yet ruled on Biden's motion to block disclosure.
Robert Hur's February 2024 report referenced Biden's "diminished faculties and faulty memory" during the 2016 and 2017 recordings with Zwonitzer. " Hur's report concluded that the evidence was "not sufficient to convict" Biden of willfully retaining classified material.
The Department of Justice initially withheld the Zwonitzer materials under FOIA exemptions citing national security and privacy. The court stayed proceedings in September 2025 after the Department of Justice indicated it would review the withheld documents.
Biden's lawyers filed an emergency motion for an injunction pending appeal on June 19, 2026.
