{"ok":true,"report":{"slug":"lf2HfEKB","publishedAt":1779941687291,"post":{"text":"Former president Joe Biden sued the Justice Department, seeking to block the Trump administration from releasing the recordings and transcripts of his private interviews with a ghost writer who was helping to write his memoir.","uri":"at://did:plc:k5nskatzhyxersjilvtnz4lh/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmtj4soyex2c","authorHandle":"washingtonpost.com"},"verdict":{"verdict":"True","confidence":95,"summary":"The post accurately reports that former President Joe Biden filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department on May 26, 2026, seeking to block the release of audio recordings and transcripts from his 2017 memoir interviews with ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer. Multiple reputable news outlets (NPR, ABC News, The Telegraph, and others) confirmed the lawsuit and its details.","claims":[{"claim":"Former president Joe Biden sued the Justice Department","assessment":"Confirmed. Biden filed suit in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, as reported by NPR, ABC News, and other outlets."},{"claim":"The lawsuit seeks to block the Trump administration from releasing recordings and transcripts","assessment":"Confirmed. The DOJ indicated it would release the materials to the Heritage Foundation and the House Judiciary Committee by June 15 unless blocked by a court order."},{"claim":"The recordings are from private interviews with a ghostwriter helping to write his memoir","assessment":"Confirmed. The recordings stem from interviews Biden gave to ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer for his 2017 memoir 'Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose.' These materials were obtained by special counsel Robert Hur during his investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents."}],"caveats":"The post does not mention that the recordings were obtained during the special counsel investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents, which provides important context for why the DOJ possesses them. However, this omission does not make the stated claims false.","sources":[{"title":"Biden sues DOJ to stop release of audio and transcripts tied to special counsel probe : NPR","url":"https://www.npr.org/2026/05/27/g-s1-124438/biden-sues-doj"},{"title":"Biden sues DOJ to block release of audio recordings tied to special counsel probe - ABC News","url":"https://abcnews.com/Politics/biden-sues-doj-block-release-audio-recordings-tied/story?id=133331055"},{"title":"Former President Joe Biden sues Trump administration over private recordings","url":"https://www.vpm.org/npr-news/npr-news/2026-05-27/former-president-joe-biden-sues-trump-administration-over-private-recordings"}]},"communityNote":"True. Former President Joe Biden filed a lawsuit on May 26, 2026, to block the Justice Department from releasing audio and transcripts of his 2017 memoir interviews. The recordings were obtained during a special counsel investigation into his handling of classified documents.","sourceUrl":"https://www.npr.org/2026/05/27/g-s1-124438/biden-sues-doj"}}