The Trump administration is weighing plans to publicly release audio recordings of Joe Biden’s interview with Robert Hur, the special counsel who raised concerns about the former president’s mental acuity after an investigation into his handling of classified documents.
That’s according to Politico, which reported Wednesday that while no final decision has been made, Biden’s camp is preparing for the possible release of the audio. The recordings stem from Hur’s investigation of Biden, which triggered a political firestorm when he concluded the Democrat was a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
The recordings have long been sought by President Donald Trump’s MAGA allies.
“The Hur audio will confirm what is one of the biggest cover ups in American history,” Far-right legal activist Mike Davis, a staunch outside Trump ally, told Politico.
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Biden had made attempts to block the tapes from reaching the public, asserting executive privilege last year to prevent House committees from obtaining the recordings, the outlet added. The Biden White House had argued that making the audio public could deter future witnesses in high-profile investigations and infringe on Biden’s privacy.
According to Politico, a deadline may force the issue.
“In separate Freedom of Information Act lawsuits brought by conservative groups like Judicial Watch and the Heritage Foundation and various news organizations, the Justice Department has been ordered by a judge to say whether it will stand by Biden’s assertion of executive privilege to block the release of the tapes,” the publication reported.
“DOJ officials will also have to indicate whether they will continue to press other arguments for keeping the audio secret, including that disclosure would invade Biden’s privacy and that it could interfere with future investigations by making high-level officials less willing to cooperate,” according to the report.