WASHINGTON — Former President Joe Biden has dropped his lawsuit seeking to block the release of audio recordings and transcripts of interviews he gave to a memoir ghostwriter, clearing the way for the material to be turned over to a Republican-led congressional committee.
Biden’s attorneys filed a notice of voluntary dismissal Friday, less than a week after a divided federal appeals court ruled against his request to keep the recordings private. He had the option to seek a rehearing or appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court but instead ended the case.
In a 2-1 decision Monday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit found there was a “substantial” public interest in disclosing the recordings. Judge Florence Pan dissented, writing that Biden had demonstrated a “substantial privacy interest” in keeping the material confidential.
Author Mark Zwonitzer conducted the interviews at Biden’s home in 2016 and 2017 while collaborating on the memoirs Promises to Keep and Promise Me, Dad. Biden’s lawyers argued the conversations were personal, candid and intended to remain private.
Special counsel Robert Hur obtained the recordings during his investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents. Although Hur declined to bring criminal charges, Republicans later sought access to the material.
Biden sued the Justice Department after it moved to release the recordings to Congress and the Heritage Foundation. A federal judge ruled in June that the public interest outweighed Biden’s privacy claims, prompting the unsuccessful appeal.