Recordings of Joe Biden from interviews conducted with his memoir ghostwriter have been made public. These tapes were obtained during the investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Hur into classified documents. Initially, Biden’s attorneys resisted the release, but their case was ultimately dismissed in court.
Mike Howell, who previously worked with the Heritage Foundation and is now with the Oversight Project, pursued the disclosure of these materials through the Freedom of Information Act. He argued the public has the right to access the recordings and transcripts that informed Hur’s decision.
“Joe Biden didn’t want these tapes to come out. But now they have. There is no joy in Bidenville today,” stated Jeff Clark, Vice President of Litigation for the Oversight Project.
The Oversight Project released hours of conversations between Biden and his ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer, from 2016 and 2017. In these recordings, Biden often pauses, hesitates, and struggles to recall details, aligning with Hur’s evaluation of Biden in his report.
Hur’s investigation focused on Biden’s handling of classified documents during his tenure as Vice President and as a U.S. Senator. He did not pursue charges, finding insufficient evidence to prove willful retention or disclosure of the material.
In his report, Hur noted, “Mr. Biden’s memory was significantly limited,” which may have led to perceptions of Biden as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” rather than a deliberate lawbreaker.
During one instance on April 24, 2017, Biden had difficulty recalling two economic advisors, eventually needing Zwonitzer’s help to remember the name Alan Krueger.
Other tapes reveal Biden forgetting event details and names, such as when discussing a Situation Room meeting, he cautioned, “Some of this may be classified, so be careful,” adding uncertainty about the classification status.
On the same day, Biden struggled to remember a memorial service’s details, prompted by redacted names in his notes. He expressed ongoing challenges with memory during these discussions.
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