A federal judge on Friday denied former President Joe Biden’s effort to stop the Trump administration from handing over audio recordings he made with a ghostwriter to a conservative organization.
U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich ruled that the public’s interest in the recordings outweighed any privacy claim Biden asserted.
Special counsel Robert Hur obtained the recordings during his investigation into whether Biden improperly kept classified documents from his time as a senator and vice president. Congressional Republicans later sought access to the material after Hur decided not to bring charges against the then-president.
Biden’s administration declined to release the 2017 recordings and transcripts, a standoff that prompted House Republicans to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt.
Under President Donald Trump, the Justice Department approved releasing the records. Biden responded last month by filing suit to prevent their disclosure to a Heritage Foundation staff member who had formally requested them.
Biden argued that releasing the tapes would violate his privacy, noting that the conversations included deeply personal topics, including the death of his son Beau Biden. Friedrich said those portions had been redacted by the administration.
The judge wrote that the materials “contain no mention of highly sensitive topics like illness or death, nor do they mention any non-public persons, including members of Biden’s family.”
Representatives for Biden did not immediately comment but asked Friedrich to bar release of the material while they appeal her decision. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Friedrich was nominated by Trump, a Republican, in 2017.
