Former President Joe Biden has resurfaced in the news more than 100 days after President Trump reclaimed the White House. Recent audio, obtained by Axios, reveals excerpts from Biden’s October 2023 interview with special counsel Robert Hur concerning classified documents found at his private residence from his tenure as vice president. This audio was published by Axios on Saturday, following a shorter clip released the previous Friday.
The five-hour interview marks the initial day of questioning by Hur and showcases Biden struggling with memory and focus during the conversation. While the Department of Justice had previously released a transcript of the discussion, the Biden administration had resisted releasing the audio due to concerns about potential tampering or the creation of “deepfakes.” Ultimately, Hur concluded that Biden “willfully” retained the documents but indicated that a jury might view him as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” No charges were filed. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the leaked audio and its implications.
Throughout the interview, Biden frequently pauses mid-sentence, struggling to articulate his thoughts. The audio captures the former president's difficulty in recalling timelines and maintaining focus. At one point, he was asked to describe his private residence and the location of the classified documents. His response was hesitant, “Well, um … I, I, I, I, I don’t know. This is, what, 2017, 2018, that area?” He quickly changed the subject to explain why he chose not to run against Trump in 2016, referencing former President Obama’s support for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
As the conversation continued, Biden struggled to remember the year his son, Beau Biden, passed away from brain cancer. Biden initially stated, “What month did Beau die? Oh, God, May 30th.” His aides had to remind him that Beau died in 2015, and he then had difficulty recalling the year Trump was elected, mistakenly saying “Trump gets elected in November of 2017” before being corrected to 2016.
Biden also faced challenges while attempting to justify why he retained certain classified documents after leaving the White House in 2017. These documents, discovered in an office he used during his vice presidency, sparked an investigation that later extended to his home. Authorities collected 90 documents from his property, with over 50 containing classified markings.
During the interview, Biden expressed that he may have intended to keep a document related to foreign policy in Afghanistan “for posterity’s sake.” Initially unsure of the reason behind retaining the document, he stated, “I, I, I, I don’t know that I knew, but it wouldn’t have … it wasn’t something I would have stopped to think about.” However, he later retracted this, adding, “I don’t recall intending to keep this memo,” prompting his lawyers to request a break.
Despite these memory lapses, the audio indicates that Biden remained engaged throughout the conversation. Axios noted that he made several jokes and presented himself as a “nostalgic, grandfatherly storyteller.” He reminisced about various topics, including the woodwork in his home and his experiences driving a Corvette with comedian Jay Leno. He also discussed historical influences like Gutenberg’s printing press and former President Nixon’s notable sweating during a famous debate.
The atmosphere only became tense when Biden’s attorney suggested that the questioning may be an attempt to implicate him.
In the wake of Axios’s audio release, Trump responded by stating that Attorney General Pam Bondi would decide whether to officially release the tapes. Trump and his associates intensified their critiques of Biden, focusing on his age, mental acuity, and the use of an autopen during his presidency. House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) revealed intentions to investigate what he termed a “cover-up” regarding Biden’s cognitive function, planning to interview several former White House aides and Biden’s doctor, Kevin O’Connor.
Trump further condemned Biden's interview as a “scandal” and reiterated his claims of election fraud from 2020, asserting that the situation surrounding the “AUTOPEN” is escalating into a larger scandal. He characterized Biden as “a hapless and cognitively impaired Sleepy Joe Biden,” emphasizing that “THE FIGHT HAS JUST BEGUN!!!” This incident comes as some Democrats have begun attributing blame to Biden for potential 2024 election losses, suggesting he should have withdrawn from the presidential race sooner. Additionally, two recent books have spotlighted concerns regarding Biden’s cognitive decline.
