A federal judge ruled that public interest outweighs former President Joe Biden’s privacy objections after the Trump Justice Department authorized release of recordings obtained during Robert Hur’s classified documents investigation.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A federal judge on Friday rejected former President Joe Biden’s effort to stop the Trump administration from releasing recordings of his conversations with a ghostwriter, ruling that the public interest in the material outweighed Biden’s privacy objections.
U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich denied Biden’s request to block the release of the records to a staffer at the conservative Heritage Foundation who had formally requested them.
The recordings were collected by then-special counsel Robert Hur during his investigation into whether Biden improperly retained classified documents from his time as a senator and vice president. Hur ultimately declined to bring criminal charges against Biden, but the materials became the subject of a political and legal fight after Republicans in Congress demanded access.
Biden’s administration refused to turn over the 2017 recordings and transcripts while he was still in office. The dispute escalated when House Republicans voted to hold then-Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt for withholding the materials.
After President Donald Trump returned to office, his Justice Department authorized the records’ release. Biden sued last month to stop the disclosure, arguing that releasing the recordings would violate his privacy.
Biden said the recordings included discussions of sensitive personal matters, including the death of his older son, Beau Biden.
Friedrich ruled that the administration had already redacted sensitive material and that the remaining records did not contain the type of private information Biden cited in his lawsuit.
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.”
The ruling clears the way for the Trump administration to release the records unless Biden succeeds in delaying disclosure while he appeals.
Representatives for Biden did not immediately comment on the ruling but asked Friedrich to prevent the release while they challenge her decision. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Friedrich was nominated to the federal bench by Trump in 2017.
The decision marks the latest development in a long-running dispute over records tied to Hur’s investigation, congressional oversight demands and Biden’s effort to keep the ghostwriter recordings from becoming public.