Washington, May 27 (H.S.): Former U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice seeking to block the release of recordings and transcripts prepared during interviews conducted for his memoir. The disclosure of the material had been sought by the Heritage Foundation under the Freedom of Information Act.

According to a report by ABC News, attorneys representing the Foundation, led by Robert Hur, argued that Biden had shared the material in 2017 with renowned ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer for the purpose of writing his memoir. The recordings and transcripts pertain to the period of Biden’s tenure as Vice President of the United States.

These documents were later obtained by the Justice Department following an investigation conducted by the Special Counsel. The investigation concluded in February 2024. The probe stated that Biden had willfully retained and disclosed classified documents. However, the investigation did not recommend any criminal charges against him.

Biden has demanded that the documents not be shared either with the Heritage Foundation or with Republican members of Congress. In the lawsuit, he cited his right to privacy and also accused the Justice Department of attempting to find a way to release the records.

The lawsuit filed by Biden in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., stated that the Justice Department had indicated it intended to hand over the audio recordings and transcripts to the Heritage Foundation and the House Judiciary Committee on June 15. The court has been requested to prevent the Justice Department from doing so.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar