International Desk

Audio recordings and transcripts from interviews conducted with former US President Joe Biden for his memoir have been made public, revealing conversations in which he discussed sensitive government matters and, at times, acknowledged difficulty recalling certain details.

The material, comprising about three hours of audio and 117 pages of partially redacted transcripts, was released by the Oversight Project, an initiative of the conservative Heritage Foundation, after Biden ended a legal effort to keep the interviews confidential.

The recordings were made in 2016 and 2017 with memoir ghostwriter Mark Lewis Zwonitzer, before Biden launched his successful 2020 presidential campaign.

In one 2016 interview, Biden referred to sensitive foreign policy issues handled during the administration of then-President Barack Obama, saying, "They didn't even know I had this," while discussing government documents.

During a 2017 session, Biden appeared to mention finding classified material from his vice-presidential tenure, although the specific contents remain redacted in both the audio recordings and transcripts.

The recordings became part of an investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Hur, who in 2024 decided not to bring criminal charges against Biden over his handling of classified documents. Hur concluded there was insufficient evidence to support prosecution and noted that a jury would likely view Biden as a sympathetic elderly figure with memory limitations.

The report sparked widespread debate over Biden's age and mental fitness as he sought re-election. Biden was 74 when the interviews took place and 81 when Hur's report was released. He later withdrew from the 2024 presidential race following a widely criticized debate performance against Republican Donald Trump.

The newly released recordings include moments where Biden struggles to recall dates or specific events. However, they also show him accurately recounting meetings and conversations, suggesting he retained detailed knowledge of many issues.

Jeff Clark, vice president of litigation at the Oversight Project, said the recordings demonstrated what he described as Biden's cognitive decline and argued the public had a right to access the material.

Biden's spokesman, TJ Ducklo, criticized the release, saying the interviews were intended to remain private and had been provided to the Justice Department under that understanding. He accused the current administration of using the Justice Department for political purposes.

Biden initially filed a lawsuit to block the release of the recordings but abandoned the case after a divided federal appeals court ruled that the public interest in disclosure outweighed his privacy claims. A three-judge panel concluded there was a "substantial" public interest in making the material available.