BS BRIEF:
- Audio recordings of then-former Vice President Joe Biden’s 2016 and 2017 interviews with memoir ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer have been released after Biden dropped his legal effort to block their disclosure. The recordings were obtained during Special Counsel Robert Hur’s classified documents investigation.
- The recordings capture Biden discussing notebooks containing potentially classified information while also revealing repeated pauses, memory lapses and difficulty recalling names and dates—observations similar to those described by Special Counsel Robert Hur in his 2024 report.
- The recordings are renewing debate over why Hur declined to prosecute Biden, whether the public should have seen the tapes sooner, and how concerns about Biden’s mental sharpness were handled during his presidency.
NEWLY RELEASED BIDEN TAPES REIGNITE CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS DEBATE
🚨🎙️ THREAD: The Biden ghostwriter tapes are out.
Tonight the Oversight Project ( @ItsYourGov ) released roughly 70 hours of audio from Joe Biden’s 2016–2017 interviews with his “Promise Me, Dad” ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer, the same recordings Special Counsel Robert Hur cited… pic.twitter.com/2lUYDYLEVu
— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) July 28, 2026
WASHINGTON — Audio recordings that former President Joe Biden fought for years to keep out of public view are now fueling a new round of questions about his handling of classified information—and about the conclusions reached by Special Counsel Robert Hur.
The recordings, made in 2016 and 2017 while Biden worked with memoir ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer on Promise Me, Dad, became part of Hur’s investigation into Biden’s retention of classified documents after leaving the vice presidency.
After a lengthy legal battle, Biden recently abandoned his lawsuit seeking to prevent their release, clearing the way for the Oversight Project and congressional investigators to obtain the material.
The newly released audio contains moments in which Biden appears to struggle recalling names, dates and events while discussing notebooks and records from his years in office.
One of the most-discussed portions of the recordings involves Biden cautioning Zwonitzer while reviewing notes from his vice-presidential years.
“Some of this may be classified, so be careful.”
He continued:
“I’m not sure. It isn’t marked classified…”
Elsewhere in the recordings, Biden can also be heard referring to other notes by saying:
“The next thing I have here is… this is classified.”
According to investigators, the notebooks contained handwritten entries involving sensitive foreign policy discussions and meetings during the Obama administration.
The recordings also include multiple instances in which Biden pauses for extended periods while attempting to remember names, meetings and timelines.
During one conversation, he says:
“I’ll think of his name.”
Moments later he adds:
“I should write the names down because I keep forgetting them.”
In another exchange, Biden struggled to remember details surrounding a memorial service before eventually saying:
“Don’t mind my train of thought.”
Those moments closely mirror Special Counsel Robert Hur’s description of Biden’s memory in his final report.
Hur wrote that Biden’s memory was “significantly limited” and described portions of his interviews as “painfully slow.”
Despite concluding that Biden had willfully retained classified materials, Hur ultimately declined prosecution, writing that a jury could view Biden as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
The recordings remained under seal for more than two years while Biden’s legal team argued they were private conversations intended solely for a memoir and that releasing them would invade personal privacy.
Earlier this month, however, a federal appeals court concluded that the public interest outweighed those concerns. Biden ultimately withdrew his appeal rather than continue the legal fight, allowing the recordings to become public.
Republicans immediately seized on the release, arguing the recordings validate Hur’s characterization of Biden and raise new questions about the decision not to prosecute.
Democrats have largely countered that Hur’s conclusions have been publicly known for more than two years and argue the recordings do not materially change the legal findings of the investigation.
House Republicans have already signaled the recordings are likely to receive renewed scrutiny as committees continue examining Biden’s handling of classified materials and broader questions surrounding his fitness while serving in office.
DBS WIRE SOURCES:
- Fox News — Biden’s classified docs narrative crumbles amid release of ghostwriter tapes: ‘Be careful’
- CBS News — Biden tapes, released after legal battle, include references to notes containing classified material
- Associated Press — Biden drops lawsuit seeking to block release of recordings of his interviews with a ghostwriter
- Associated Press — Appeals court rejects Biden’s bid to block release of recordings of ghostwriter interviews
