Biden tapes, released after legal battle, include references to notes containing classified material
Biden Tapes Released After Legal Battle: What They Reveal About Classified Notes
Bizeconanalysis.com – The Biden tapes released after legal dispute have finally shed light on audio recordings that captured the former president discussing classified material. Approximately 70 hours of these recordings were provided to CBS News and referenced in a 2024 special counsel report. According to that report, Biden maintained numerous volumes of notes at his residence which contained classified information.
Key Moments in the Recordings
Biden, currently 83 years old, is captured in the recordings at one moment informing his ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer:
"Some of this may be classified … So, be careful. I'm not sure ... It's not marked classified but —"
Later in the sessions, Biden remarks once more:
"The next thing I have here is, um, this is classified …"
These audio sessions took place while Biden collaborated with Zwonitzer on developing his 2017 memoir titled "Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose." Importantly, no classified material was ever claimed to exist within the published book itself.
How the Legal Battle Unfolded
The Biden tapes released after legal proceedings initially attracted significant attention when Justice Department special counsel Robert Hur mentioned them in a February 2024 report concerning Biden's management of classified documents. Hur initiated his investigation after discovering documents marked as classified, some dating back to Biden's vice presidency, located in his home and private office. Ultimately, Hur decided against recommending any charges.
The recordings were released following a two-year court battle initiated by the Oversight Project, a conservative nonprofit organization whose mission is to "expose and root out corruption in government." Biden's legal representatives originally attempted to prevent the release through an injunction, but after receiving several unfavorable rulings, they chose not to continue pursuing the issue. CBS News has contacted an attorney representing Biden regarding this matter.
What the Recordings Reveal About Classified Material
At the time of the Hur report, Biden told reporters:
"I did not share classified information. I did not share it with my ghostwriter."
He also mentioned that he was unaware of how boxes containing classified documents came to be stored in his garage. The recordings shared with CBS News feature Biden describing to Zwonitzer potentially classified meetings, including
"a big meeting with the CIA and everyone," "a big meeting down in the Situation Room," and "a long meeting where DOD brief … POTUS."
In an October 10, 2016 recording, Biden tells Zwonitzer that he possesses notes unknown to the White House:
"I have extensive notes over this period of time… They didn't know I have this,"
he stated.
Hur's Investigation and Final Conclusions
Biden also mentioned in a February 16, 2017 recording,
"I just found all the classified stuff downstairs"
— a comment that Hur referenced as evidence Biden had classified material in his Virginia rental home, despite having left office a month earlier. Hur described Biden's tone as
"matter-of-fact"
and suggested he may have quickly forgotten about the documents.
Hur investigated whether Biden illegally stored and shared classified information, highlighting examples in his report, including Biden, then age 75, showing Zwonitzer
"classified notes from a National Security Council meeting"
of the Obama administration.
However, Hur concluded that the Justice Department would be unlikely to secure a conviction, partly because jurors would likely side with Biden, seeing him as
"a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."
Justifying his decision not to prosecute, Hur wrote that
"Mr. Biden's recorded conversations with Zwonitzer from 2017 are often painfully slow, with Mr. Biden struggling to remember events and straining at times to read and relay his own notebook entries."
"For these jurors, Mr. Biden's apparent lapses and failures in February and April 2017 will likely appear consistent with the diminished faculties and faulty memory he showed in Zwonitzer's interview recordings and in our interview of him,"
the report stated.
Last year, the Justice Department released audio recordings from Biden's 2023 interview with Hur's team. At various points, Biden spoke in a hoarse and halting tone, and he struggled at one moment to recall the year when his son Beau died and the year when he himself passed away.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many hours of Biden tapes were released?
Approximately 70 hours of audio recordings were provided to CBS News and referenced in the 2024 special counsel report.
Who initiated the legal battle to release the Biden tapes?
The Oversight Project, a conservative nonprofit organization, initiated the two-year court battle to release the recordings.
Did Biden share classified information with his ghostwriter?
Biden stated he did not share classified information with Mark Zwonitzer, though the recordings show him discussing potentially classified meetings and notes.
Why didn't Robert Hur recommend charges against Biden?
Hur concluded that jurors would likely view Biden as a sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory, making conviction unlikely.
When were the Biden tapes released?
The tapes were released following a two-year legal battle after being mentioned in the February 2024 special counsel report.