Full Breakdown
Biden’s Ghostwriter Tapes Released After Prolonged Legal Battle
7/28/2026, 9:27:30 PM
Core Event: Release of Audio Recordings
On July 27, the conservative Oversight Project—a nonprofit affiliated with the Heritage Foundation—publicly released portions of roughly 70 hours of audio recordings made in 2016-2017 between former President Joe Biden and his ghostwriter, Mark Lewis Zwonitzer. The tapes were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request and were turned over after a federal appeals court rejected Biden’s attempt to keep them private on July 20. The released excerpts span interviews conducted while Biden was drafting his 2017 memoir, *Promise Me, Dad*.
Background & Context
The recordings first entered public discourse when former Special Counsel Robert Hur cited them in his February 2024 report on Biden’s handling of classified documents discovered at the former vice president’s Delaware home and office. Hur’s investigation, launched after classified material from Biden’s Senate and vice-presidential tenure was found in his residence, concluded that while Biden possessed classified notes, the evidence did not establish “willful” wrongdoing. Biden’s legal team subsequently sued to block disclosure, arguing the material was private; the suit was withdrawn after the appellate ruling.
Data & Statistics
- Approximate total length of the recordings: 70 hours.
- Audio excerpts posted by the Oversight Project and shared with news outlets total about three hours.
- The tapes contain multiple references to “classified” material, including at least four distinct statements where Biden labels a document as classified or warns the ghostwriter to be careful.
Criticism & Opposition
The Oversight Project framed the release as a transparency victory. Project vice-president Jeff Clark accused Biden of “giving away secret after secret” for personal profit, referencing the $8 million advance he received for his memoir.
Verbatim Quotes
- “They didn’t even know I had this,” — Joe Biden, former president
- “So this was – I, early on, in ’09 – I just found all of the classified stuff downstairs. I wrote the President a handwritten 40-page memorandum arguing against deploying additional troops to Iraq – I mean, to Afghanistan on the grounds that it wouldn’t matter, that the day we left would be like the day before we arrived” — Joe Biden, former president
- “And then — and then the next thing I have here is — this is classified,” — Joe Biden, former president
- “All right — what was I going to ask you? Something else,” — Joe Biden, former president
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on the tone attributed to Biden when discussing classified material. CNN and the Associated Press describe his remarks as “cavalier,” while the Washington Examiner and Newsmax quote the special counsel’s description of a “matter-of-fact” tone. Both characterizations are attributed to named sources, illustrating divergent interpretations of the same audio excerpts. Additionally, while the tapes reference potentially classified notes, no classified content was alleged to have appeared in the published memoir, a point noted by multiple outlets but not definitively resolved.
What’s Next
The House Judiciary Committee has received the released audio and transcripts for further review. The Oversight Project and other watchdog groups indicate they will continue to analyze the material, and lawmakers have signaled intent to examine whether additional oversight or legislative action is warranted regarding the handling of classified information by former officials.
