Trump Criticizes Biden Over Lawsuit Against Justice Department

Late Tuesday, Donald Trump took to Truth Social to criticize Joe Biden after the former president filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department. This legal action aims to prevent the release of audio recordings related to a special counsel investigation concerning classified documents.

In his post, Trump called Biden “crooked politicians!!!” while linking to a Just the News article discussing the lawsuit.

Biden’s suit, filed on Tuesday, seeks to block the release of recordings and transcripts from interviews conducted by ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer during an investigation led by special counsel Robert Hur.

Previously, Biden’s lawyers argued that the requested files should not be disclosed under the Federal Public Records Act. However, the Justice Department indicated plans to share them with Congress and the conservative Heritage Foundation.

Biden’s lawyers mentioned that releasing these files would be an “unwarranted invasion” of his privacy. They contended, “All Americans, including current and former vice presidents, have the right to privacy in private conversations at home.” They further asserted that if the Justice Department collects personal information during a criminal investigation, it has a particular responsibility to safeguard that information.

The lawsuit centers on interviews conducted with Zwonitzer, who assisted Biden in writing his memoirs in 2016 and 2017. The recordings are involved in an inquiry into how Biden stored classified documents during his tenure as senator and vice president.

Special counsel Hur’s yearlong investigation culminated in a 345-page report that raised questions about Biden’s age and mental fitness but ultimately did not recommend any criminal charges. It noted that there wasn’t enough evidence to justify prosecution.

Separately, Biden has also been contesting the release of audio from another interview with investigator Hsu. In a notable incident from 2024, the House voted to hold then-Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for not releasing this audio after the White House invoked executive privilege.

While Biden has claimed to take classified information seriously, records revealed inconsistencies in his recollection of dates and he showed unfamiliarity with some of the classified documents he managed.

Republicans assert that Biden was given leniency by his own Justice Department, framing Trump as an unfair target of prosecution. In contrast, Democrats have highlighted Biden’s cooperation with investigators, especially when compared to the ongoing criminal case against Trump, who is accused of not returning classified documents that were requested by the National Archives.