Judge denies Biden's bid to block release of transcripts linked to
special counsel inquiry
[June 20, 2026]
By NICHOLAS RICCARDI
A federal
judge on Friday rejected former President Joe Biden's attempt to block
the Trump administration from releasing to a conservative group the
recordings that Biden made with a ghostwriter.
U.S.
District Judge Dabney Friedrich found that the public interest in the
material outweighed whatever privacy rights Biden had, but she
effectively put her ruling on hold for up to three weeks so Biden could
appeal.
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Former President Joe Biden looks out at the crowd during the dedication
ceremony for the Obama Presidential Center, Thursday, June 18, 2026, in
Chicago. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) |
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The recordings were obtained by special counsel Robert Hur in
the course of his investigation into whether Biden improperly
retained classified documents while a senator and vice
president. Republicans in Congress demanded them after Hur
declined to file charges against the then-president.
Biden's Democratic administration refused to turn over the
recordings and transcripts from 2016 and 2017, leading
congressional Republicans to hold his attorney general, Merrick
Garland, in contempt.
President Donald Trump's Justice Department authorized the
release of the materials. That led Biden last month to sue to
seek to block the release to a staffer at the conservative
Heritage Foundation who had formally requested the records.
Biden objected to the release as an invasion of privacy, saying
the recordings included him discussing sensitive personal
matters such as the death of his older son, Beau Biden. But
Friedrich found that the administration redacted that material.
The judge wrote that the materials “contain no mention of highly
sensitive topics like illness or death, nor do they mention any
non-public persons, including members of Biden's family.”
Representatives for Biden did not immediately comment but asked
Friedrich to bar release of the material while they appeal her
decision. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to
a request for comment.
Friedrich was nominated by Trump, a Republican, in 2017.
Hur’s yearlong investigation led to a 345-page report that
questioned the effects of Biden’s age and his mental competence
but recommended no criminal charges against the
then-81-year-old. Hur said he found insufficient evidence to
prosecute a case in court successfully.
The transcripts of five hours of Biden interviews with federal
prosecutors was released that same year. While Biden was adamant
that he treated classified information seriously, the transcript
shows that he was at times fuzzy about dates and details and he
said he was unfamiliar with the paper trail for some of the
sensitive documents he handled.
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