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Biden drops lawsuit seeking to block release of recordings of his interviews with a ghostwriter
Biden’s attorneys withdrew the case after a 2-1 appeals court ruling found a substantial public interest in disclosing the recordings.
On Friday, President Joe Biden voluntarily dismissed his lawsuit seeking to block the release of audio recordings and transcripts from memoir interviews, ending his legal challenge to disclosure.
Originating from 2016 and 2017 sessions between Biden and ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer, the recordings were gathered as evidence during Special Counsel Robert Hur's investigation into classified documents handling.
A 2-1 appellate panel denied Biden's emergency injunction motion, finding a "substantial" public interest in disclosure; Circuit Judge Florence Pan dissented, arguing for a "substantial privacy interest."
The Justice Department can now release the recordings to Congress and the Heritage Foundation after Biden's attorneys declined to petition the Supreme Court for further review.
Republicans in Congress demanded the materials after Hur declined to file charges against the then-president, concluding a months-long dispute over executive privacy rights versus public disclosure.