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Biden's classified docs narrative crumbles amid release of ghostwriter tapes: 'Be careful'

Fox News · back to the audit
Former President Joe Biden's recordings from interviews with his memoir ghostwriter — obtained during special counsel Robert Hur's classified documents investigation — have been released to the public.

After a months-long fight from Biden's attorneys to block the release of the tape, they abandoned their lawsuit calling for a dismissal Friday, in which a judge accepted Monday.

The plaintiff, Mike Howell formerly with conservative think tank Heritage Foundation and now at Oversight Project, has fought for more than two years to obtain the materials through FOIA requests, arguing that the public has an interest in reviewing the recordings and transcripts on which Hur based his decision.

The Oversight Project published hours of recordings from Biden's 2016 and 2017 conversations with his "Promise Me, Dad" ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer, in which the then-former vice president frequently pauses, speaks haltingly and struggles to recall events — reinforcing Special Counsel Robert Hur's characterization in his report.

"Joe Biden didn't want these tapes to come out. But now they have — after two years of painful delay. There is no joy in Bidenville today. Robert Hur's and Merrick Garland's decision to give Biden a free pass for keeping and disclosing classified information must now be reexamined from top to bottom," Oversight Project Vice President of Litigation Jeff Clark exclusively told Fox News Digital.

The House Judiciary Committee announced there were 2 hours and 45 minutes of recordings released.

Hur investigated Biden's handling of classified documents dating from his time as vice president in the Obama administration and as a U.S. senator from Delaware. He declined to pursue criminal charges because he concluded prosecutors could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Biden willfully retained or disclosed the material.