Joe Biden sues Donald Trump administration to block release of ‘private’ memoir interview tapes

Former US president Joe Biden has launched legal action against the Trump administration in a bid to stop the release of recordings from interviews conducted for his memoir, arguing the material contains private and sensitive conversations.

The lawsuit centres on audio and transcripts gathered during Special Counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into Mr Biden’s handling of classified documents, according to the BBC.

While Mr Hur concluded Mr Biden had improperly retained records, he declined to pursue criminal charges. His 2024 report nevertheless ignited fierce political debate after raising concerns about Mr Biden’s memory and fitness for office.

The US Justice Department, now under President Donald Trump, has indicated it intends to release the memoir interview material by June 15, after being requested by House Republicans and conservative groups seeking access to the recordings, the BBC reported.

Mr Biden recorded the interviews while working on his 2017 memoir Promise Me, Dad alongside co-writer Mark Zwonitzer, reflecting in part on the death of his son Beau Biden in 2015. Mr Hur’s investigation cited those conversations, alleging Mr Biden referred to notes from his vice-presidential years that appeared to contain classified information.

The special counsel wrote in his report that “Mr Biden’s memory also appeared to have significant limitations” and described the exchanges as “painfully slow, with Mr Biden struggling to remember events and straining at times to read and relay his own notebook entries”.

Mr Hur’s findings triggered political uproar in Washington and sharpened scrutiny over Mr Biden’s age and health during his re-election campaign. Republicans later pursued impeachment inquiries while congressional committees and the conservative Heritage Foundation sought access to the memoir recordings as part of their investigations, according to the BBC.

The Justice Department had previously resisted releasing the material on privacy grounds but has since reversed course.

“Joe Biden’s Justice Department tried to hide audio recordings that clearly demonstrate a significant decline in his cognitive abilities as far back as 2016,” Justice Department Spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre said in a statement.

“We will fight to ensure the American people can hear these recordings and draw their own conclusions about the former President’s mental acuity before he sought the presidency.”

Mr Biden’s legal team has argued the interviews are protected under US privacy law and accused the government of pursuing disclosure for political and improper purposes.

In court filings, the former president’s lawyers claimed officials were relying on a false rationale “to disclose records reflecting President Biden’s private conversations for the sake of exposure, among other improper purposes.”