Former United States President Joe Biden is back in the spotlight after newly released audio recordings appeared to reinforce key findings from former Special Counsel Robert Hur’s 2024 report.

According to a special report by CNN, the recordings capture Biden discussing allegedly classified material, struggling to recall key dates and details, and speaking about documents he retained after leaving office as vice president.

The audio was released on Monday by the Oversight Project, an investigative initiative affiliated with the conservative Heritage Foundation.

The group successfully pursued legal action to compel the Justice Department to release the recordings. Although Biden’s legal team initially sought to block their publication, it later withdrew its challenge.

In the clips, Biden is heard speaking candidly with his ghostwriter, Mark Lewis Zwonitzer, about notes and documents from his vice presidency. At one point, while referring to old notes, he says:

“They didn’t even know I had this.”

The specific portions relating to allegedly classified information remain redacted.

In another exchange, Biden refers to discovering classified papers at his residence before discussing his 2009 opposition to sending additional US troops to Afghanistan.

“So this was, I, early on, in ’09, I just found all of the classified stuff downstairs. I wrote the President a handwritten 40-page memorandum arguing against deploying additional troops to Iraq, I mean, to Afghanistan because it wouldn’t matter, that the day we left would be like the day before we arrived.”

In a separate clip, Biden briefly says, “This is classified,” while referring to a document, though the surrounding context remains redacted.

The recordings also capture several moments in which Biden struggles to remember dates, pauses to gather his thoughts, and admits difficulty reading his handwritten notes. The moments closely mirror Hur’s assessment, which described Biden as an elderly man with a poor memory.

Despite those findings, Hur declined to bring criminal charges, citing Biden’s cooperation, a lack of evidence of willful misconduct, and the likelihood that his memory issues would complicate any prosecution before a jury.

The recordings also include Biden reflecting on former President Barack Obama, economic policy, and his consideration of a 2016 presidential bid.

He recalls policy disagreements with Obama following the 2008 financial crisis, suggests Obama’s inner circle was too closely aligned with Silicon Valley, and says advisers warned him that his tendency for verbal gaffes could hurt a presidential campaign.

At one point, while reviewing his notes, Biden remarks, “I can’t read my own writing.”

Following the release, the Oversight Project said it had fought “tooth and nail” to make the recordings public, arguing they should have been released much earlier.

The audio has reignited debate over Biden’s handling of classified documents, his mental acuity during his presidency, and the Justice Department’s decision not to pursue criminal charges.