President Donald Trump called Joe Biden “crooked” after the former president sued to block the release of audio recordings and transcripts of an interview obtained during the special counsel investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents.
In the lawsuit, filed in Washington’s federal court on Tuesday, Biden’s lawyers said the Justice Department plans to release the files from his interview with a ghostwriter to Congress and conservative group the Heritage Foundation.
Trump shared a link to an article about the lawsuit on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday, adding: “A Crooked Politician!!!”
Biden’s lawyers argued the Justice Department had previously said the records were exempt from disclosure under public records law, and that any such disclosure would “constitute an unwarranted invasion of President Biden’s privacy.”
“Every American, including a sitting or former Vice President, has a right to privacy in the personal conversations he has within his own home,” his attorneys wrote.
“And when the U.S. Department of Justice obtains that private information through a criminal investigation, the Department bears a particular responsibility to protect it from disclosure.”
At issue in the case are audio recordings and transcripts of Biden’s interviews at his home in 2016 and 2017 with Mark Zwonitzer, who worked with Biden on his two memoirs.
The files were scrutinized by special counsel Robert Hur as part of his investigation into Biden’s improper retention of classified documents, from his time as a senator and as vice president. Hur’s yearlong investigation led to a 345-page report that questioned Biden’s age and mental competence but recommended no criminal charges against the then-81-year-old.
Hur said he found insufficient evidence to successfully prosecute a case in court.
This is a developing story. More to follow.
This article contains reporting by The Associated Press.
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