Joe Biden's attorneys have been accused of attempting to prevent the release of tapes that allegedly show him revealing classified information to his ghostwriter, according to court filings by a conservative watchdog. The Heritage Foundation claims that Biden's legal team has delayed proceedings, with one attorney stating she could not respond because she had lost her voice.
DOJ Threatens Release of Tapes
The Department of Justice has threatened to release tapes that the watchdog says will demonstrate Biden sharing top-secret information with ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer, who helped write Biden's memoirs 'Promises to Keep' and 'Promise Me, Dad.' The filing alleges that tapes and transcripts were previously withheld by Zwonitzer.
Republicans had previously filed a resolution to hold Zwonitzer in contempt of Congress in 2024 for refusing to turn over records related to the special counsel investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents. Now, The Heritage Foundation and Mike Howell, a Visiting Fellow at the foundation, have filed a new lawsuit to make those documents public.
Legal Timeline and Delays
A joint status report filed Friday in Washington D.C. district court gives Biden's legal team until May 12 to intervene; otherwise, the DOJ will release available tapes on June 15. The plaintiffs claim Biden's attorneys have not been responding. A phone call scheduled for Monday afternoon aims to establish a timeline, but lead counsel for Biden allegedly said they would not file a motion to intervene until after the deadline.
Howell told The Daily Mail that this proves Biden has something to hide. 'The shenanigans aren't over. At the last possible second, and after every delay tactic possible, the autopen is objecting to the American People receiving transparency,' he said. He added that the Trump DOJ will release the audio tapes if Biden does not intervene on deadline.
Background on Special Counsel Investigation
Republicans point to special counsel Robert Hur's investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents. Hur's report noted that Biden relied extensively on notebooks from his vice presidency in writing 'Promise Me, Dad.' Biden told Zwonitzer that some notebook information may be classified, and some entries remain classified up to Top Secret level.
Hur's report described Biden's inconsistent handling of classified documents, sometimes skipping over classified material and other times reading notes from classified meetings nearly word for word. Attorneys for the Heritage Foundation and Howell claim that a Biden attorney delayed by emailing on Thursday that she had lost her voice and could not speak.
Zwonitzer's Actions
Zwonitzer deleted recordings of his interviews with Biden once he learned of the special counsel investigation, according to Hur's report. Hur testified that Zwonitzer moved the files to the recycle bin, but law enforcement recovered them. He retained the transcripts. Biden received an $8 million book advance for his memoirs.
Hur accused Biden of being sloppy about sharing classified information with Zwonitzer. The special counsel considered charging Zwonitzer with obstruction of justice for deleting recordings, but ultimately found plausible innocent reasons and cooperation. Investigators recovered most deleted recordings from Zwonitzer's laptop.
Republican Concerns
Republicans maintain that further review of Zwonitzer's access to classified materials is warranted to determine if legislative reforms are needed for handling sensitive documents by Executive Branch members. Biden, in a 2024 news conference after Hur's report, insisted he did not share classified information. 'I did not share classified information. Guarantee you, I did not,' he said, adding he was unaware how boxes of classified documents ended up in his garage.
