Legal Efforts by Biden to Block DOJ Disclosure

Attorneys representing former President Joe Biden may attempt to prevent the U.S. Department of Justice from disclosing communications from 2017 involving a ghostwriter who assisted in crafting a book about the late Beau Biden.

According to a court filing, Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate from the Civil Division indicated that Biden’s legal team has communicated their intent to seek intervention to stop this disclosure. The Justice Department has expressed no opposition to this intervention.

This situation revolves around redacted documents and around 70 hours of audio that were requested through the Freedom of Information Act by Mike Howell from the Heritage Foundation.

In a social media update regarding the request, Howell remarked, “These tapes belong to American citizens. Why are autopens fighting? To hide it?”

Biden’s lawyers have a deadline this Tuesday to respond to the DOJ’s potential release, but if an objection is raised, the response timeline may extend to June 15.

The discussion includes dialogue between Biden and the ghostwriter of his 2017 book, “Dad, Promise Me: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose.” The audio is part of the evidence gathered during Special Counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into how Biden managed classified documents, some of which were stored in his garage and at the Penn Biden Center post-Obama administration.

Howell, who leads the Heritage Oversight Project, stated, “These tapes provide further evidence of the big lie about Biden’s fitness for office and his alleged leaks of classified information. This situation continues to unveil various tactics to delay transparency for the American public.”

Biden’s press secretary, TJ Ducklo, noted that Biden had consented to the release of the audio provided it remained private, arguing that the situation at hand is more about politics than genuine transparency.

Breitbart News pointed out that in 2017, Biden charged considerable sums for signed editions of his book. It’s also reported that he is set to receive a $10 million advance for a presidential memoir in 2025. Additionally, former First Lady Jill Biden recently announced plans to publish her own memoir related to her experiences in the White House.

Shumate emphasized in the filing that the public has a right to access these tapes and records generated by President Donald J. Trump’s Justice Department.