Key facts
- Audio recordings of Joe Biden acknowledging possession of classified material after leaving office as vice president have been released by House Republicans.
- In one recording from February 2017, Biden states, 'I just found all the classified stuff downstairs'.
- The tapes were made during the drafting of Biden's 2017 memoir, 'Promise Me, Dad', with co-writer Mark Zwonitzer.
- Special Counsel Robert Hur obtained the recordings as part of his investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents.
- Republicans allege the redactions on the tapes are intended to conceal Biden's disclosure of classified information.
Audio recordings in which President Joe Biden acknowledges possessing classified material after leaving office as US vice president have been released by Republicans in Congress. The tapes, recorded in February 2017 during the drafting of his memoir 'Promise Me, Dad', feature Biden speaking with his ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer.
In one segment, Biden is heard saying, 'I just found all the classified stuff downstairs.' Another recording from October 2016 has him telling Zwonitzer, 'The next thing I have here is, um, this is classified.' Republicans on the House Oversight Committee claim the significant redactions on the released recordings are meant to conceal Biden's disclosure of classified information.
The tapes were obtained by Special Counsel Robert Hur during his 2024 investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents. Hur's investigation concluded that Biden improperly retained records but did not recommend charges, citing concerns that a jury might view him as 'a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.' Biden's spokesman, TJ Ducklo, criticized the release as 'weaponizing the DOJ for political retribution.' The article notes that Donald Trump was charged with illegally retaining documents but had the charges dropped after returning to the White House.