Trump to release audio of Biden special counsel interview: New York Times report

UPDATED: May 17, 2025 04:20 IST

The Trump administration plans to release audio recordings of former US President Joe Biden’s 2023 interview with Special Counsel Robert K Hur, who was investigating Biden’s handling of classified documents, The New York Times reported on Friday. The newspaper said the audio recording could be released as early as next week.

Biden was interviewed at the White House in October 2023 as part of an inquiry into classified materials discovered at his former office and residence following his vice presidency under the Obama administration.

In 2024, Hur concluded he would not pursue charges, partly citing concerns that Biden might come across to a jury as a sympathetic figure — an elderly man with memory issues, The New York Times reported.

The planned release comes at a time when Democrats face growing concerns over Biden’s health and past efforts by his aides and party leaders to downplay questions about his fitness to run for re-election.

Several potential Democratic contenders for the 2028 nomination in recent days have been asked whether they believe Biden was declining in office or whether he should have sought reelection before a disastrous debate performance led to his withdrawal, Associated Press reported.

The book “Original Sin,” by journalists Jake Tapper of CNN and Alex Thompson of Axios, revives a core controversy of Biden’s presidency: his decision to run for a second term despite polls showing many voters, including Democrats, believed that he should not run again. Biden would have been 86 at the end of a second term had he won in November. The new book alleges White House aides covered up Biden's physical and mental decline, putting renewed focus on his health months after former Vice President Kamala Harris lost to President Donald Trump.

“The transcripts were released by the Biden administration more than a year ago,” said Kelly Scully, a spokeswoman for the former president. “The audio does nothing but confirm what is already public.”

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