Former President Joe Biden filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice on May 27, seeking to block the release of audio recordings from his interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur regarding classified documents found at his Delaware home and former office. The legal action comes after the DOJ indicated it would comply with a court order to make the recordings public.

The interview recordings have been at the center of controversy since February, when Hur's report described Biden during the questioning as "a well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory" — a characterization that sparked political debate during the 2024 election cycle. While the DOJ released a transcript of the interview last year, it had resisted turning over the actual audio, citing executive privilege and concerns about setting a precedent for future investigations.

The lawsuit challenges a recent federal court ruling that ordered the DOJ to release the audio files to watchdog groups that had filed Freedom of Information Act requests. Biden's legal team argues the recordings contain sensitive information about investigative methods and that their release could discourage future witnesses from cooperating with federal probes. The former president also contends the audio would be used selectively to create misleading clips for political purposes, despite the transcript already being public.

"The release of these recordings serves no legitimate purpose beyond allowing partisan actors to manipulate them," the complaint states.