President Donald Trump and his administration are reportedly making plans to release an audio interview between former President Joe Biden and special counsel Robert Hur, over Biden’s handling of classified documents.
According to Politico, Hur raised questions about Biden’s mental acuity according to two Republicans who were briefed by Trump administration officials, although details are still not known and it has not yet been confirmed if a final decision has been made to release the audio to the public.
A crucial deadline is looming on May 20. In multiple Freedom of Information Act lawsuits filed by conservative organizations such as Judicial Watch, the Heritage Foundation, and several news outlets, a judge has directed the Justice Department to clarify its position on President Biden’s use of executive privilege to prevent the release of certain tapes.
Almost a year ago, Biden and his administration argued that making the tapes public could discourage witnesses from cooperating in high-profile investigations.
Justice Department officials must also clarify whether they will persist in other arguments to keep the audio under wraps. These include concerns that releasing the tapes would infringe on Biden’s privacy and potentially hinder future investigations.
The recordings — described by Hur as portraying Biden as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory”— have been highly sought after by Trump’s Republican allies for some time.
“The Hur audio will confirm what is one of the biggest cover ups in American history,” Mike Davis, a Trump ally and an occasional adviser, told POLITICO.
Some Republicans on Capitol Hill have indicated that they have not been informed of any definitive plans for the release of the tapes. The House Judiciary Committee filed a lawsuit last year to gain access to the recordings, but the case has remained stagnant since Trump assumed office.
Although transcripts from the case were made public, the audio has remained a focal point of heated debate since Hur released his report last year, stating he would not pursue criminal charges against Biden. At the time, Biden maintained that he had not violated the law in his handling of classified documents and firmly asserted that his memory was intact.
