The plan was to keep these tapes private forever. That was the plan. Then the court said no. Now, the audio is out for everyone to hear. We have the proof right in front of us. Joe Biden explicitly warned his ghostwriter about "classified stuff downstairs." This is not a rumor. It is a recording. On Monday, the House Judiciary Committee received the files that were heavily redacted.. They were also sent to the conservative Oversight Project. This came after a long two-year fight in court.
Listen to the words coming from the former president. He speaks with his own voice. In one clip, he says, "So this was, I early on, um, in '09 I just found all the classified stuff downstairs". He knew the rules. He told his writer, "Some of this may be classified so be careful with it". Then he hesitates. "I'm not sure … It's not marked classified but —". These recordings happened while he worked on his 2017 memoir.
He read from notebooks with sensitive national security details. The former special counsel Robert Hur noted he read "nearly verbatim" from these notes. Biden described big meetings with the CIA. He mentioned "a big meeting down in the Situation Room". He even dropped a swear word, saying, "F*** me, you know". The Oversight Project released over 70 hours of these conversations. They show the former vice president pausing often. He struggles to recall events clearly.
Why did this happen now? Biden fought hard to stop it. He decided not to appeal court orders that allowed the release. The tapes were cited in Hur's 2024 report on his handling of documents. Hur investigated how Biden kept papers from his time as vice president and senator. The special counsel found marked documents at his home and office. Yet, Hur declined to charge him criminally. He said prosecutors could not prove Biden acted on purpose. Jeff Clark, a lawyer for the Oversight Project, has a different view. According to Fox News, he stated that Joe Biden did not desire the tapes' release.. Yet, following a two-year period of painful delay, they have finally emerged.. Clark adds that the decision to give Biden a free pass "must now be reexamined from top to bottom". The truth is finally out. No classified info was in the final book, but the risk was real.
This matters to every American family. We expect our leaders to follow the law. We expect them to protect secrets that keep us safe. When the man who held the highest office says he found secrets "downstairs," that is a problem. The hesitation in his voice shows the confusion. The warnings show he knew better. The public deserves to know the full story. We cannot ignore what we hear on these tapes. The rule of law applies to everyone. It must apply to those who make the laws. These recordings prove the former president knew about the documents. He knew they were sensitive. He knew he had to be careful.
That is the end of the matter.