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Biden to fight DOJ's release of ghostwriter tapes

Axios · · 395 words · By Andrew Pantazi
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What to know about Biden to fight DOJ's release of ghostwriter tapes

Former President Biden is preparing to ask a court to stop the Trump administration from releasing his conversations with his ghostwriter, tapes that played a central role in a classified-documents investigation.

Claims checked 13
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Former President Biden is preparing to ask a court to stop the Trump administration from releasing his conversations with his ghostwriter, tapes that played a central role in a classified-documents investigation.

Why it matters

Why it matters: The tapes go to the heart of Special Counsel Robert Hur's damaging conclusions: that Biden read classified notebook passages aloud to ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer and that the former president's memory lapses would make it harder to prove he…

Common ground

For the record: Biden has denied sharing classified information.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.axios.com/2026/05/10/biden-justice-department-ghostwriter-tapes-clas…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6
schedule Pending 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
info Single Source 2
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Claim 1: “Hur wrote that Biden read journal entries about classified information "nearly verbatim" at least three times”
CORROBORATED
Both PolitiFact and ABC News confirm that Hur's report stated Biden read classified entries 'nearly verbatim' on at least three occasions.
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web search NEUTRAL — On January 12, 2023, Garland appointed Robert K. Hur as special counsel to investigate "possible unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or other records". The next day, the House J…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden_classified_documents…
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web search NEUTRAL — Hur said Biden read to Zwontizer from classified entries "nearly verbatim" on at least three occasions, sometimes for an hour or more, but said evidence didn’t show that Biden knew the passages were c…
https://www.politifact.com/article/2024/feb/09/fact-checking…
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web search NEUTRAL — Hur stated that their investigation found Biden read near-verbatim entries from his notebooks containing classified information to Zwonitzer on three occasions, according to tape recordings and transc…
https://abcnews.com/Politics/closer-biden-special-counsel-re…
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Claim 2: “Hur wrote in his report that Biden's "memory was significantly limited, both during his recorded interviews with the ghostwriter in 2017, and in his interview with our office in 2023."”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to corroborate this specific quote regarding memory limitation in 2017 and 2023.
schedule
Claim 3: “Biden spokesperson TJ Ducklo told Politico that Biden "cooperated fully with Special Counsel Hur" and provided the recordings "on the condition that they would not be made public."”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 4: “The Justice Department said if Biden files in court by Tuesday, it will agree to hold off on disclosing the materials until June.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 5: “Hur obtained the conversations with Zwonitzer while investigating Biden's handling of classified documents after his vice presidency”
CORROBORATED
ABC News and Wikipedia confirm that Robert Hur's investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents involved obtaining recordings and transcripts of conversations with Zwonitzer.
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web search NEUTRAL — SPECIAL definition: 1. not ordinary or usual: 2. especially great or important, or having a quality that most similar…. Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/special
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web search NEUTRAL — The meaning of SPECIAL is distinguished by some unusual quality; especially : being in some way superior. How to use special in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Special.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/special
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web search NEUTRAL — Define special. special synonyms, special pronunciation, special translation, English dictionary definition of special. adj. 1. Surpassing what is common or usual; exceptional: a special occasion; a s…
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/special
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Claim 6: “Biden read classified notebook passages aloud to ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer”
CORROBORATED
The claim is corroborated by Wikipedia, ABC News, and WRIC ABC 8News, all referencing Special Counsel Robert Hur's findings that Biden read classified notebook passages to Mark Zwonitzer.
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web search NEUTRAL — classified information."[10][15][85] The ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer, did not hold a security clearance, and Biden knew this, wrote Hur.[86] On some occasions, "Biden took steps to ensure that Zwonitz…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden_classified_documents…
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web search NEUTRAL — – Biden Screams at Reporter, Denies He Read Aloud Classified Passages to His Ghostwriter (VIDEO).A reporter asked Joe Biden why he shared classified information with his ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer. Bi…
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/02/i-did-not-share-cla…
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web search NEUTRAL — The request comes after special counsel Robert Hur said Biden read aloud passages from notebooks he kept during his time in office, including on three occasions when Biden shared passages dealing with…
https://www.wric.com/hill-politics/house-judiciary-requests-…
info
Claim 7: “In a joint status report filed Friday, the Justice Department said it intended to disclose the redacted transcripts and audio recordings to Congress and to the Heritage Foundation”
SINGLE SOURCE
While search results mention the DOJ releasing redacted transcripts and the Heritage Foundation's lawsuits, no specific evidence provided confirms a 'joint status report filed Friday' stating the intent to disclose specifically to both Congress and the Heritage Foundation.
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web search NEUTRAL — The Justice Department made public two redacted transcripts of Hur’s interviews with Biden—which revealed Biden did forget key dates, but that Hur gave mixed accounts of the president's memory—earlier…
https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2024/03/25/house-…
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web search NEUTRAL — The date typo on the opening screen is corrected below:In 2016 Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin, in his investigation of corruption involving Buris...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXA--dj2-CY
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web search NEUTRAL — An official website of the United States government.In view of the Congressional deadline, all reasonable efforts have been made to review and redact personal information pertaining to victims, other …
https://www.justice.gov/epstein/doj-disclosures/data-set-1-f…
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Claim 8: “The special counsel ultimately declined to prosecute Biden”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including a news headline and AEI, explicitly state that Special Counsel Robert Hur declined to prosecute Joe Biden.
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web search NEUTRAL — Special counsel Robert Hur has declined to prosecute President Joe Biden for his handling of classified documents.Special counsel will not criminally charge Biden in classified document case.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/joe-biden/special-counsel-s…
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web search NEUTRAL — Republicans questioned why Hur declined to bring charges when he found that Biden had been taking classified information home and to his personal office for decades. But committee Republicans missed t…
https://www.aei.org/op-eds/democrats-went-to-town-in-hur-hea…
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web search NEUTRAL — Former special counsel Robert Hur testifies alongside a video of President Joe Biden to the House Judiciary Committee on March 12, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images).
https://thedispatch.com/article/biden-decline-hur-vindicated…
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Claim 9: “Heritage wrote that Biden opposed the release even of portions of the transcript that matched "exact phrases quoted in the Hur Report."”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 10: “Former President Biden is preparing to ask a court to stop the Trump administration from releasing his conversations with his ghostwriter”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources (Fox News and a web search result citing Politico) confirm that Joe Biden's lawyers are expected to intervene to block the DOJ's release of audio recordings with his ghostwriter.
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web search NEUTRAL — The Department is also going to release 2017 audio recordings of conversations with his ghostwriter in which he disclosed classified information. Joe Biden is expected to intervene, according to Polit…
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/05/biden-fight-trump-d…
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web search NEUTRAL — Joe Biden's lawyers are expected to intervene against the DOJ's release of redacted transcripts and audio recordings from his 2017 ghostwriter conversations.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-seeks-block-doj-relea…
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web search NEUTRAL — United States President Joe Biden is back in the news and on social media for his gaffe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvA-Vf0MomM
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Claim 11: “Politico reported earlier Sunday that he intends to fight the release”
SINGLE SOURCE
One web search result explicitly mentions that 'Joe Biden is expected to intervene, according to Politico.' However, the other Politico search results are general descriptions of the publication, not the specific report.
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web search NEUTRAL — Politico (stylized as POLITICO in all caps), known originally as The Politico, is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 20…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politico
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web search NEUTRAL — THE POLITICO POLL Poll: Republicans and Democrats agree on 1 big election issue As campaign spending hits record highs, voters across parties question how deeply money shapes elections.
https://www.politico.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — POLITICO Europe covers the politics, policy and personalities of the European Union. Our coverage includes breaking news, opinion pieces, and features.
https://www.politico.eu/
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Claim 12: “the recordings capture the former president telling Zwonitzer: "I just found all the classified stuff downstairs."”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to corroborate this specific quote.
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Claim 13: “the Heritage Foundation, which sued for the material under the Freedom of Information Act”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources (NTD and The FOIA Project) confirm that the Heritage Foundation filed a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to obtain records.
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web search NEUTRAL — However, DHS turned down Heritage’s initial Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for Harry’s records, as well as their follow-up efforts to obtain those documents.
https://news.meaww.com/melania-trump-irate-and-contemplating…
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web search NEUTRAL — On Monday, the Heritage Foundation filed a lawsuit in federal court in Delaware, accusing the DOJ and Mr. Weiss of failing to produce the records the conservative think tank had requested. The initial…
https://www.ntd.com/lawsuit-calls-doj-to-reveal-whether-it-c…
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web search NEUTRAL — About the Freedom of Information Act. About Contributing Documents.After hearing nothing further from the agency, the Heritage Foundation filed suit. Issues: Failure to respond within statutory time l…
https://foiaproject.org/2023/02/16/the-new-york-times-compan…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.