Justice Department Rejects Request for Biden Interview Audio, Accusing Republicans of Political Motives

The Justice Department has denied a request made by two Republican-led House committees for an audio recording of former special counsel Robert Hur's interview with President Joe Biden. The request was rejected on the grounds that the committees failed to specify an "investigative purpose" for their demand of the audio. The department accused the committees of "escalation" and seeking conflict "for conflict's sake."

The House Judiciary and Oversight Committees had issued subpoenas for the audio recording and other materials from the investigation, including transcripts of specific interviews, following Hur's report in February on President Biden's handling of classified records from his time as vice president. The investigation was initiated after documents with classified markings were discovered in President Biden's home and office. Although Hur did not pursue criminal charges, he criticized the president's recordkeeping and memory during an October 2023 interview with investigators. Hur alleged that the former vice president had "shared information, including some classified information," with a ghostwriter as he wrote a memoir. Despite this, prosecutors concluded that criminal charges were not warranted.

Justice Department's Response

Although Hur has completed his investigation and report and is no longer employed by the Justice Department, the department retains control over the evidence gathered during the probe. Assistant Attorney General Carolos Uriarte stated that the department had already provided an extensive amount of information to the committees and expressed concern that the request for the audio recording was politically motivated. Uriarte warned that releasing the audio files to Congress could have a "chilling" effect on future investigations if witnesses feared that audio versions of their interviews might be made public.

Congressional Republicans had initially stated that they needed access to all requested materials to conduct oversight over Hur's probe and further evaluate President Biden's conduct. Subsequently, they accused federal officials of withholding relevant information and threatened Attorney General Merrick Garland with contempt proceedings.

Recovery of Deleted Audio Files

Hur's report alleged that at the beginning of the federal probe, the ghostwriter had deleted audio files linked to the classified information President Biden is accused of sharing. However, the FBI successfully recovered the deleted files from the ghostwriter's computer. Despite considering obstruction charges against the ghostwriter, the government ultimately decided against pursuing them based on their findings.

Following the report's release, President Biden and his allies expressed outrage at Hur's description of the president's memory. The transcript of Hur's October interview with President Biden revealed that while the president stumbled over some dates and words, he also recalled many specific details from years earlier. President Biden had earlier defended himself, stating that his memory was "fine." The transcript was released shortly before Hur testified before Congress last month, providing a fuller picture of the five-hour conversation.