Former President Joe Biden sued the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday to block the release of audio recordings and transcripts from private conversations with his biographer, opening a new legal fight over materials tied to the special counsel investigation into his handling of classified documents.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Washington ahead of the department’s planned June 15 release of the records to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee and the Heritage Foundation, a conservative legal and policy group that previously sought the materials through a public-records request.
The recordings were made in 2016 and 2017 during Biden’s work with his biographer on “Promise Me, Dad,” his memoir about his family and his decision-making after the death of his son Beau Biden. The materials later became part of special counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents. Hur declined to bring criminal charges.
Biden’s lawsuit argues that the House Judiciary Committee’s request is invalid and was designed to avoid federal limits on releasing the records publicly. The suit asks the court to permanently bar the Justice Department from releasing the materials to the committee.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment. The department had previously opposed the Heritage Foundation’s 2024 request for the records under the Freedom of Information Act, arguing that the materials were exempt from disclosure. Biden’s lawsuit says the department changed position after President Donald Trump returned to office.
The case adds another legal and political fight around Biden’s classified-documents investigation, which drew heavy attention during the 2024 election cycle. Hur’s report criticized Biden’s handling of classified materials but concluded that criminal charges were not warranted.
Republicans have continued to seek access to materials from the investigation, including audio tied to Biden’s interviews. Biden’s lawyers argue that releasing private conversations with his biographer would violate legal protections and serve a political purpose rather than a legitimate oversight function.
Earlier this month, Biden moved to intervene in the Heritage Foundation’s lawsuit against the Justice Department over the same materials. A judge allowed him to join that case but limited the claims he could pursue related to the committee’s request, according to Reuters.
The new lawsuit focuses directly on the planned release to Congress. Biden’s lawyers are asking the court to declare the committee’s request improper and stop the department from handing over the recordings and transcripts.
The dispute could test how courts weigh congressional demands for investigative materials against privacy claims and legal limits on public disclosure. It also places the Justice Department in the middle of a fight involving a former president, a Republican-led congressional committee and an outside conservative group seeking records from a closed special counsel investigation.
For now, the immediate question is whether a federal judge will block the Justice Department before the planned June 15 release date.