Biden Sues Justice Department to Block Release of Biographer Interview Records

Former President Joe Biden has sued the Justice Department to block the release of files related to interviews he conducted with a biographer that later became part of a special counsel investigation into his handling of classified documents, Jacob Rosen reported for CBS News.

Biden asserted executive privilege over the recordings in 2024 after House Republicans attempted to obtain them. (Photo: Joe Biden Facebook)

Biden’s lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeks to block the release of about 70 hours of audio files and transcripts to the House Judiciary Committee.

The materials stem from interviews with ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer used for Biden’s 2017 memoir Promise Me, Dad. The interviews were conducted in 2016 and 2017.

Biden and his attorneys have long argued that the files are exempt from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

The suit follows multiple FOIA-related lawsuits seeking access to the recordings. In one case involving the Heritage Foundation, attorneys for the Justice Department reportedly told a federal judge that they planned to release the files with redactions.

Biden asserted executive privilege over the recordings in 2024 after House Republicans attempted to obtain them.