Joe Biden’s Interview Recordings Released Amidst Investigation

Recordings from former President Joe Biden’s interviews with his memoir ghostwriter, obtained during the special counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into classified document handling, have been released to the public. The tapes, which have sparked extensive discussion, highlight various issues.

Biden’s Attorneys Drop Legal Fight

Biden’s legal team fought to block the release of these recordings, but they eventually withdrew their lawsuit. A judge approved their dismal on a Monday. Mike Howell, formerly with the Heritage Foundation and currently with the Oversight Project, sought these materials through FOIA requests. He argued that the public has a vested interest in accessing these recordings and transcripts, which informed Hur’s decisions.

Content of the Recordings

The Oversight Project has now published several hours of recordings from Biden’s conversations with his ghostwriter in 2016 and 2017. The recordings depict Biden’s frequent pauses and his struggles to recall events. This aligns with Special Counsel Robert Hur’s description of Biden in his report.

“Joe Biden didn’t want these tapes to come out. But now they have — after two years of painful delay. There is no joy in Bidenville today. Robert Hur’s and Merrick Garland’s decision to give Biden a free pass for keeping and disclosing classified information must now be reexamined from top to bottom,” Oversight Project Vice President of Litigation Jeff Clark told Fox News Digital.

The House Judiciary confirmed that 2 hours and 45 minutes of recordings were released. Hur investigated Biden’s handling of documents from his vice presidency in the Obama administration and his term as a U.S. senator from Delaware. He decided against criminal charges, stating that prosecutors could not prove Biden’s willful retention or disclosure of classified material beyond a reasonable doubt.

Biden’s Cognitive Struggles

Hur’s report noted Biden’s conversations were “painfully slow,” with Biden “struggling to remember events and straining at times to relay his own notebook entries.” Hur mentioned Biden’s significantly limited memory during interviews with both the ghostwriter in 2017 and the office in 2023.

Hur suggested Biden might appear to a jury as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” rather than an intentional law violator. The recordings show Biden experiencing long pauses, forgetting names, and not recalling specific days.

During a discussion about a 2014 Situation Room meeting, Biden warned, “Some of this may be classified, so be careful,” adding, “I’m not sure. It isn’t marked classified, but….” In a particular instance on April 24, 2017, Biden struggled to remember the names of two economic advisers, saying, “I’ll think of his name,” and “I should write the names down because I keep forgetting them.” A long pause followed before the ghostwriter named Alan Krueger.

Biden’s Memory Lapses

On the same day, Biden could not recall where he was on a certain date. Later, he remembered attending a memorial for a service member but forgot the name.

“I think I went to that memorial service in Wilmington. It says [REDACTED] December the 4th, but I don’t — I know what this means. Memorial service — [REDACTED] gets names really f—ed up,” Biden said. “So it says memorial service for [REDACTED]. I don’t think her name was [REDACTED]. Or I forget [REDACTED].”

The ghostwriter responded with an “Okay,” prompting Biden to state he would “make a note of that too.” He continued, “But at any rate, back to — there was — I had a meeting with Ron Klain, and I don’t know when.”

Ashley J. DiMella reports on politics for Fox News Digital.