Joe Biden’s secret recordings come to light: “I found the classified materials”

A series of audio recordings of former President Joe Biden, which he had tried to keep secret for years, have recently been released by Republican lawmakers in Congress.

In these audios, Biden is heard confirming that he still held classified documents after his term as US vice president ended.

The materials contain dialogues between Biden and author Mark Zwonitzer, who was helping him write his memoir published in 2017, “Promise Me, Dad.” The recordings were made during the work phase for this publication.

In a fragment recorded in February 2017, just a month after he left the White House, his voice is clearly heard: “I just found all the classified material downstairs. Be careful.”

Another conversation, recorded in October 2016 while he was still serving in the Obama administration, catches him telling an associate: “I have many notes from this period… They (the White House) didn’t know I had these.”

These recordings were made public after a long court battle initiated by Republicans in the House of Representatives and the conservative group Oversight Project. They were part of the Justice Department’s 2024 investigation that examined Biden’s handling of classified documents.

His spokesman, TJ Ducklo, reacted sharply to this release, calling it another case of political weaponization of the justice system.

“This is wrong and, although the former president does not approve of today’s decision, he respects the judiciary and the essential function of an independent system in a healthy democracy,” he said.

The recordings last over two hours and have parts that have been redacted. Republican members of the House Oversight Committee claim that these edits were made to cover up moments when Biden talks about extracting classified information.

In 2024, special counsel Robert Hur obtained these audios and the corresponding transcripts during his investigation. He concluded that Biden had improperly retained some classified materials, but did not recommend criminal charges.

According to Hur’s report, one factor was that a jury might perceive Biden as “an elderly, well-meaning man with a poor memory.”