Nicolai Haugsted
The former president is suing the U.S. Department of Justice.
Fresh legal tensions between Joe Biden and Donald Trump’s Justice Department are unfolding in Washington after the former president moved to stop the release of private recordings tied to a past classified documents investigation.
According to Reuters, Court filings submitted Tuesday show Biden is suing the Department of Justice in an attempt to prevent audio tapes and transcripts from being handed over to Republican lawmakers and the conservative Heritage Foundation next month.
Material involves conversations Biden held with his biographer during 2016 and 2017 while working on his memoir “Promise Me, Dad.”
Recordings Linked to Classified Documents Investigation
Audio files later became part of Special Counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents.
Hur ultimately declined to pursue criminal charges against Biden in 2023, though portions of the investigation triggered intense political fallout during the presidential campaign period.
According to Biden’s lawsuit, Trump’s administration reversed the Justice Department’s earlier position on the records after returning to office.
Lawyers for Biden argue federal officials previously maintained the recordings were protected from disclosure under Freedom of Information Act exemptions before changing course following requests from the House Judiciary Committee.
Court documents accuse the committee of using the request as a workaround to bypass federal protections.
Biden Seeks Permanent Block
Former president’s legal team is now asking a federal judge in Washington D.C. to permanently stop the material from being released.
Lawsuit also seeks a declaration that the congressional request itself is invalid.
Justice Department officials did not immediately comment publicly after the lawsuit was filed.
Private conversations were recorded at Biden’s home as part of preparations for his 2017 memoir, which focused heavily on the illness and death of his son Beau Biden while Biden weighed a presidential run.
Political Battle Intensifies
Heritage Foundation has spent months pursuing access to the material through legal action against the Justice Department.
Biden attempted earlier this month to formally join that case.
A judge later allowed him to intervene in parts of the dispute, though court records show he was blocked from directly challenging the congressional request itself through that proceeding.
Fight over the recordings arrives as tensions continue to escalate between Trump-aligned Republicans and Biden allies over transparency, presidential records and the handling of classified information.
