- Newly released audio tapes capture conversations between Joe Biden and his ghostwriter, Mark Lewis Zwonitzer, from 2016-2017, in which Biden appears to admit possessing classified material after his vice presidency.
- The recordings were made public by the Oversight Project, an offshoot of the Heritage Foundation, following a prolonged freedom of information battle and a lawsuit against the Department of Justice.
- In the tapes, Biden is heard stating, 'They didn’t even know I had this' regarding old notes and later mentioning, 'I just found all of the classified stuff downstairs,' referring to a 40-page memorandum.
- The Oversight Project claimed the audio supports special counsel Robert Hur’s 2024 assessment of Biden as a 'sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,' which was part of his decision not to prosecute Biden for mishandling classified information.
- A Biden spokesperson criticized the release, stating the conversations were private and provided to the Department of Justice on the condition they remain so, calling it 'weaponizing the DOJ for political retribution.'
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Biden admits finding ‘classified stuff downstairs’ in newly released audio tapes
