Quick Hit:

The Biden Justice Department has admitted in federal court that the transcript of President Joe Biden's testimony to Special Counsel Robert Hur was edited, with filler words and repeated phrases omitted. The department has also made assertions of executive privilege and privacy to keep the audio of the testimony hidden.

Key Details:

• The Justice Department has admitted that the transcript of President Biden's testimony to Special Counsel Robert Hur is not accurate and has been edited.
• The department has made assertions of executive privilege and privacy to keep the audio of the testimony hidden, citing potential misuse of AI technology to alter Biden's words.
• Judicial Watch, a conservative educational foundation, has initiated a new FOIA request on this issue, calling it Biden's "Nixonian tape scandal."

Diving Deeper:

According to a Judicial Watch report, The Justice Department's filing, submitted late on Friday, states that the transcript of the testimony is accurate, except for minor instances such as the omission of filler words or repeated phrases. The department asserts that these minor differences do not include any substantive exchanges and that there is no material omission of words between the audio recording and transcripts.

However, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton has criticized the department's stance, stating, "Judicial Watch's FOIA lawsuit forced the Biden team to admit what everyone suspected – that the transcript is not accurate and was changed in a way to help Biden." He further added, "There is nothing ordinary about this, and the transcript inaccuracy issues seem to help Biden's political campaign needs."

In April, the Justice Department had told the court that it would not disclose the audio recordings of special counsel interviews with President Biden in order to protect his "privacy" interests. This decision has been met with criticism, with Judicial Watch initiating a new FOIA request on the issue.