The Department of Justice (DOJ) is blocking several groups from obtaining audio recordings from President Joe Biden’s interview with former special counsel Robert Hur, according to the Washington Examiner.
The DOJ rejected Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests from several entities attempting to gain access to the Biden-Hur tapes, prompting them to file a lawsuit Thursday, the Washington Examiner reported. The lawsuit was joined by Judicial Watch, Heritage Foundation and a CNN-led media coalition that includes The Associated Press, CBS, Reuters and other companies. (RELATED: House Votes Down GOP Effort To Fine Merrick Garland For Withholding Biden-Hur Tapes)
The Daily Caller News Foundation also filed a FOIA request to obtain the audio tapes on Feb. 13, but the DOJ said the request remains pending.
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 12: Former Special Counsel Robert K. Hur testifies alongside a video of President Joe Biden before the House Judiciary Committee on March 12, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The Biden-Hur tapes sparked controversy after Hur described Biden as having mental lapses during the interview in October 2023.
In February, Hur’s team found that Biden had retained and mishandled classified information regarding the Obama administration’s Ukraine policy that he led as vice president, but he decided not to prosecute after the interview. Hur described Biden as a “sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man,” and described his memory as having “significant limitations,” claiming that a jury might not find him guilty for that reason. (RELATED: Robert Hur Fends Off Attacks From Democrats, Trump Allies In Marathon House Hearing)
Attorney General Merrick Garland has persistently withheld the tapes from the public for months after Biden invoked executive privilege in May to prevent the tapes from being released. Since then, the House passed a resolution in June to hold Garland in contempt for violating a congressional subpoena.
The House also attempted to pass a resolution in July that would hold Garland in “inherent contempt,” fining him $10,000 every day he declined to turn over the tapes. That resolution, led by Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, failed in the House by a 204-210 vote. (RELATED: House Passes Resolution To Hold Attorney General Merrick Garland In Contempt)
The DOJ said that releasing the Biden-Hur tapes would cause “unwarranted privacy harms” without “any meaningful countervailing public benefit,” claiming it would “interfere with witness cooperation” in investigations, according to the Washington Examiner.
“I’ve been doing this for nearly 30 years, I really haven’t seen a desperate effort like this to avoid disclosure,” Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, told the Washington Examiner.
The DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the DCNF.
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