Judge Temporarily Blocks Release of Biden’s Recordings to Heritage Foundation
5 verified3 unconfirmed
A federal judge on Friday temporarily halted the Justice Department from releasing redacted audio and transcripts of former President Joe Biden’s conversations with his ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer, to the Heritage Foundation. The three-week injunction gives a federal appeals court time to review Biden’s challenge. The materials stem from special counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents, which quoted the recordings as showing “diminished faculties and faulty memory.” The Heritage Foundation had sought the records through a Freedom of Information Act request filed in 2024. Biden’s legal team argued the materials contain private conversations whose release would cause permanent harm. The Justice Department initially withheld the recordings but later reversed course, citing significant public interest.
What’s verified
U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich issued a three-week injunction blocking release of Biden’s recorded conversations with ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer pending an appeals court review.
The recordings and transcripts were sought by the Heritage Foundation under a Freedom of Information Act request related to special counsel Robert Hur’s investigation.
Hur’s report referenced Biden’s “diminished faculties and faulty memory” and described the recordings as “painfully slow.”
Biden’s legal team argued that disclosure would permanently harm his privacy and that the appeal would become moot if the materials were released.
Friedrich earlier denied Biden’s request for a preliminary injunction but later granted an injunction pending appeal after an emergency motion from his attorneys.
Not yet confirmed
The identity of Biden’s lead attorney, Amy Jeffress, and her spouse’s connection to another judge was mentioned by only one source.
Whether a separate case blocking release of the audio files to the House Judiciary Committee is pending was mentioned by only one source.
The sources do not say what the D.C. Circuit Court will decide or whether the Heritage Foundation will challenge the injunction.
Key figures
Joe Biden, former U.S. president.
Mark Zwonitzer, ghostwriter and biographer.
Robert Hur, former special counsel.
Dabney Friedrich, U.S. District Judge.
Heritage Foundation, conservative think tank seeking the materials.
Mike Howell, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project (mentioned in one source).
Sources: CBS News, foxnews.com
