WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Oversight Project released audio recordings from Joe Biden's 2017 memoir sessions on July 27, 2026, revealing statements about the presence of classified documents and cognitive concerns. The release followed a federal appeals court ruling on July 20 that rejected efforts to keep the tapes private.

The recordings capture conversations between Biden and ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer while they worked on the 2017 memoir 'Promise Me, Dad.' In one February 2017 recording, Biden said, "So this was, I early on, um, in ’09 I just found all the classified stuff downstairs." He later added in a separate segment, "Some of this may be classified … So, be careful. I'm not sure.. It's not marked classified but —"

Biden also stated, "The next thing I have here is, um, this is classified." In another instance from October 10, 2016, he said, "I have extensive notes over this period of time… They [the White House] didn't know I have this." He reinforced this point by saying, "They didn’t even know I had this."

The former vice president described potentially classified meetings to Zwonitzer, including "a big meeting with the CIA and everyone," "a big meeting down in the Situation Room," and "a long meeting where DOD brief … POTUS." In a November 3, 2016 recording, Biden referred to the "non-classified part of my discussion with POTUS." He also recounted writing a handwritten 40-page memorandum to the president in 2009 arguing against deploying additional troops to Afghanistan.

The audio files contain instances where Biden struggled to recall information. In one recording, he said, "Alright — what was I going to ask you? Something else… Uh… um. Oh gosh. I can't think of anything else." He also said, "Um … it's confusing me." Special Counsel Robert Hur reported that Biden's recorded conversations from 2017 are often "painfully slow," with Biden "struggling to remember events and straining at times to read and relay his own notebook entries." Hur also reported that Biden exhibited "diminished faculties" and had "painfully slow" conversations as early as 2016.

The released audio includes more than two hours of recordings, though the total volume is approximately 70 hours. More than two hours of the audio recordings were shared with CBS News. The files contain significant redactions. Republicans on the House Oversight Committee stated that the redactions "are intended to cover [Biden's] disclosure of classified information." House Republicans also obtained the audio recordings.

Former Special Counsel Robert Hur obtained the recordings and transcripts during his 2024 investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents. Hur found that Biden improperly retained records but did not recommend charging him. Hur stated that a jury would likely view Biden as "a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory." Hur also reported that Biden read "nearly verbatim" from notebooks containing sensitive national security and foreign policy information. No classified material was ever alleged to be in the published book 'Promise Me, Dad.'

Biden responded to the investigation in 2024 by stating, "I did not share classified information. I did not share it with my ghostwriter." The Department of Justice released audio recordings from Biden's 2023 interview with Hur's team in 2025. Research titled Special counsel appointed in Biden documents case was published in 2023 in Emerald Expert Briefings.

The Oversight Project is a conservative nonprofit that states its goal is to expose and root out corruption in government. Jeff Clark is the Oversight Project's vice president of litigation. The Heritage Foundation filed a Freedom of Information Act request on February 9, 2024, for records related to Biden's memory and mental faculties.

The Oversight Project and House Republicans sued for the release of the audio tapes, with the nonprofit suing in Washington, D.C. federal court to compel the release. Biden's personal lawyers sued the Department of Justice in May to keep the tapes private, but his legal team dropped their lawsuit after legal defeats.

TJ Ducklo, Biden's spokesman, addressed the release by stating, "It's wrong, and while President Biden disagrees with today's decision, he also respects the courts and the vital role an independent judiciary plays in a healthy democracy." Ducklo also stated that releasing the tapes was "just the latest example of this Administration weaponizing the DOJ for political retribution." Biden is 83 years old.

The recordings also include Biden's reflections on his time in the Obama administration. He said former President Barack Obama used to really "get pissed" at him over disagreements on how to handle the economy. Biden said, "I was a really lonely voice on housing, I was a lonely voice on the middle class. I mean, I thought we should be much more aggressive than putting these guys in jail and the bankers." He added, "I think the reason why we didn’t do more, by the way, is because I think that — this is a harsh thing to say — But I think subconsciously, at least, Barack and his guys were beholden to Silicon Valley." he said, And the valley guys didn’t want the [expletive] that I — you know, I wanted. He also said Barack Obama backed away from a promise to appoint Larry Summers to the Federal Reserve because Summers was a "liability," noting, "He was, you know, Harvard and women." he said, "I wasn’t focused on robots and artificial intelligence and, and digitalization and Moore’s law." He recalled Obama telling him, "It’s my decision to run or not. It doesn’t have to do with the field," and said Obama indicated that a 2016 presidential run would "really be an uphill battle." he said, "That was my read at the time."

The release of these recordings provides direct audio evidence corroborating Special Counsel Robert Hur's earlier findings regarding Biden's retention of sensitive materials and his cognitive state during the 2016–2017 period. While Hur declined to recommend charges, characterizing Biden as a "sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory," the audio allows the public to hear the former vice president's own words regarding classified documents and memory lapses. The legal battle involved multiple entities, including the Oversight Project, House Republicans, and the Heritage Foundation, who sought transparency through litigation and Freedom of Information Act requests.

The court's decision to compel release establishes a precedent for public access to such investigative materials, even when they involve a former president. The redactions in the released files remain a point of contention, with critics arguing they obscure the full extent of classified information disclosures.