Recent disclosures from the Department of Justice have unveiled a pivotal development regarding an ongoing investigation into classified documents retained by Biden. On Monday, it came to light through a legal document that Robert Hur, the special counsel appointed for the case, had in his possession transcripts of conversations between Biden and his biographer. This revelation stands in stark contrast to previous statements from the department, which had asserted the absence of any reliable transcripts.
The issue surfaced during a legal proceeding concerning a Freedom of Information Act request, subsequent to Hur’s investigation into Biden’s handling of classified materials. Lawyers from the Department of Justice informed Judge Dabney Friedrich that converting the 70 hours of Biden’s discussions with biographer Mark Zwonitzer from audio to text for review would be a cumbersome process. They highlighted the challenges in identifying classified information within audio files, compared to written documents.
Contrary to earlier claims, Justice Department attorney Cameron Silverberg disclosed in a recent court filing that transcripts of some of these interviews do indeed exist. It was found that Hur’s team had outsourced the transcription of a fraction of these audio recordings to a court-reporting agency, resulting in 117 pages covering a part of the Biden-Zwonitzer dialogue. Within these discussions, some portions of classified information were identified.
Released in February, Hur’s conclusive report on the investigation presented a decision against recommending criminal charges for Biden, in light of his possession of classified documents post his vice presidency. Documents were discovered both in Biden’s home in Delaware and a Washington DC office. Hur described Biden in the report as a genuinely well-intentioned, elderly individual with diminishing memory, suggesting that convincing a jury of Biden’s willful misconduct would be challenging.
Amidst ongoing discussions, the White House in May declared executive privilege over the audio and video evidence from Hur’s probe, barring Congressional access to these materials. This assertion of privilege came as efforts persisted from Congress to procure the recordings via Attorney General Merrick Garland. The unfolding of these events coincides with Biden’s recent withdrawal from the presidential race.
