Biden's Tapes Reveal Mix-up Over Classified Documents
WHO:
NY Post - President Joe Biden, ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer
CBS News Politics - President Joe Biden
WHAT:
AP News - The Oversight Project, an arm of the Heritage Foundation, released about three hours of audio and 117 pages of transcripts, with many redactions, after Biden lost a legal fight to keep the conversations private.
AP News - Biden stated, “The next thing I have here is, um, this is classified,” during the recordings.
AP News - Biden admitted to retaining classified information from his time as vice president, saying, “I just found all the classified stuff downstairs.”
AP News - Biden wrote a handwritten 40-page memorandum arguing against deploying additional troops to Iraq and Afghanistan.
AP News - About three hours of audio and 117 pages of transcripts were released by the Oversight Project, with many redactions.
AP News - Biden stated, “They didn’t even know I had this,” while discussing sensitive foreign policy matters in October 2016.
AP News - Biden claimed, “I just found all the classified stuff downstairs,” and mentioned writing a handwritten 40-page memorandum regarding troop deployment in Afghanistan.
AP News - The right-wing group first sued to obtain the tapes after Special Counsel Robert Hur decided in 2024 not to charge Biden for mishandling classified information.
AP News - Hur stated that he believed a jury would find Biden a sympathetic figure due to his age and “poor memory.”
AP News - Biden was 74 when the interviews began and 81 when Hur released his report in early 2024.
AP News - Biden's spokesman, TJ Ducklo, criticized the release as politically motivated, stating that the conversations were private and provided to the Department of Justice with the condition they remain confidential.
AP News - Biden dropped his lawsuit after a divided panel of appeals court judges rejected his bid to stop the release, which found a “substantial” public interest in disclosing the material.
TMZ - Biden's ghostwriter received repeated warnings during the recording sessions that the material might be classified.
BBC - Biden stated in the recordings, "I just found all the classified stuff downstairs," referring to classified materials.
NY Post - Heavily redacted recordings of Biden working on his 2017 memoir were released.
CBS News Politics - Roughly 70 hours of recordings from an interview with Biden were released over his objections.
WHERE:
NY Post - The recordings were released to the House Judiciary Committee and the conservative Oversight Project nonprofit.
WHEN:
NY Post - The recordings were released after a two-year court battle.
CBS News Politics - The recordings were from 2017, before Biden was president.
WHY:
AP News - The right-wing group first sued to obtain the tapes after Special Counsel Robert Hur decided in 2024 not to charge Biden for mishandling classified information.
NY Post - The release followed a court battle over Biden's objections.
HOW:
AP News - Biden initially sued to stop the Department of Justice from releasing the material but dropped his suit after a divided panel of appeals court judges rejected his bid, finding a “substantial” public interest in disclosing the material.
NY Post - The recordings were released after a legal process involving the House Judiciary Committee and the Oversight Project nonprofit.
(UPDATED July 28, 2026 18:24 UTC)
The Oversight Project, part of the Heritage Foundation, has released nearly three hours of audio and 117 pages of transcripts after Biden lost a legal battle to keep these conversations private. In the recordings, Biden acknowledged retaining classified information from his time as vice president, stating, “I just found all the classified stuff downstairs,” and he also wrote a handwritten 40-page memorandum opposing the deployment of additional troops to Iraq and Afghanistan. This release follows a lawsuit from the right-wing group after Special Counsel Robert Hur chose not to charge Biden for mishandling classified information, and Biden ultimately dropped his own suit to block the release after an appeals court found a significant public interest in the material.
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(UPDATED July 28, 2026 17:27 UTC)
The Oversight Project has released about three hours of audio and 117 pages of transcripts, though many sections are redacted. In the recordings, Biden discusses sensitive foreign policy matters from October 2016, claiming, “They didn’t even know I had this,” and mentioning a handwritten 40-page memorandum on troop deployment in Afghanistan. Biden's spokesman criticized the release as politically motivated, noting that the conversations were intended to remain confidential when provided to the Department of Justice.
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(UPDATED July 28, 2026 16:32 UTC)
In a recent report by TMZ, it has come to light that Biden's ghostwriter received multiple warnings during the recording sessions indicating that the material being discussed could potentially be classified. This revelation raises questions about the handling of sensitive information during the writing process. As more details emerge, the implications of these warnings are likely to be closely examined.
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(UPDATED July 28, 2026 05:56 UTC)
President Biden recently made headlines after stating in recordings, "I just found all the classified stuff downstairs," while discussing classified materials. This revelation has sparked significant interest and debate regarding the handling of sensitive information. As the situation unfolds, more details are expected to emerge in the coming days.
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(UPDATED July 28, 2026 02:51 UTC)
Heavily redacted recordings of President Biden working on his 2017 memoir have been released, despite his objections, following a two-year court battle. The roughly 70 hours of recordings were provided to the House Judiciary Committee and the conservative Oversight Project nonprofit. These recordings, which date back to before Biden became president, reveal his thoughts during the writing process of the memoir.