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From the Washington Examiner: The Department of Justice is fighting efforts from several groups to obtain audio recordings of the interview former special counsel Robert Hur conducted with President Joe Biden last year, according to court documents filed Thursday evening.
DOJ attorneys wrote that there is “no basis” under the Freedom of Information Act for the department to provide the recordings of Biden’s interview, an argument that comes after the department released the transcript of it in March.
Three separate entities have joined the lawsuit as they attempt to force the DOJ to comply with their FOIA requests: the conservative groups Judicial Watch and the Heritage Foundation and a CNN-led media coalition that includes the Associated Press, CBS, Reuters, and several other companies.
In the written report, Hur announced that he would not be pressing charges against Biden for his mishandling of classified documents, and described him as a “well-meaning elderly man” whose memory had “significant limitations.” Justifying his decision not to charge Biden, Hur said a jury may not reach a guilty verdict for that reason.
However, Republicans want to hear the interview for themselves, in addition to the written report, but Attorney General Merrick Garland has refused to hand it over.
DOJ attorneys wrote that there is “no basis” under the Freedom of Information Act for the department to provide the recordings of Biden’s interview, an argument that comes after the department released the transcript of it in March.
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) July 19, 2024
