Media cover-up unravels: Biden’s mental struggles confirmed in damning leaked tapes

Audio of Joe Biden’s 2023 interview with special counsel Robert Hur, long hidden from the public, has finally been released, confirming, in the ears of many conservatives, what the media and Biden allies have long denied: that the president’s cognitive decline was severe. On Friday, Axios’ Alex Thompson published the tapes just days before the release of his new book with Jake Tapper, sparking fresh scrutiny of the Biden presidency — and the media’s role in shielding it.

Hur interviewed Biden as part of his investigation into the alleged storage of classified materials at Biden’s Delaware home in the period between his vice presidency and inauguration as the nation’s 46th president. Hur cited Biden’s mental decline in his decision not to prosecute, writing, “Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

'The illegal withholding of this audio tape was election interference meant to protect a failing Biden and then Harris campaign.'

At the time, an unnamed Democratic operative called Hur’s characterization of Biden “beyond devastating,” adding, “It confirms every doubt and concern that voters have. If the only reason they didn't charge him is because he’s too old to be charged, then how can he be president of the United States?”

The sentiment was short-lived as Democrats and allies in the mainstream media quickly shifted to defense of Biden after then-Attorney General Merrick Garland refused to release either the audio recording or transcript of the interview. Later in 2024, the Department of Justice relented and released the transcript after House Republicans took action. The recording of the interview had never been released until Friday.

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Earlier in May, a federal court gave the Trump administration until May 20 to explain how it would respond to plaintiffs seeking the full Biden-Hur audio recordings. That legal deadline just happens to coincide with the release of “Original Sin,” the new book by Axios’ Alex Thompson and CNN’s Jake Tapper.

In an emergency late-night court filing obtained by Blaze News, the Oversight Project — a key plaintiff in the lawsuit — highlighted this timing:

The filing emphasized that Thompson had reportedly obtained the complete recording but, as of Friday, had released only selected clips — those most favorable to the thesis of his upcoming book. On Saturday, Axios released what it described as the full recording of the interview.

Oversight Project President Mike Howell told Blaze News, “The media and Biden administration embarrassed themselves trying to deceive the public about Biden's health.” He added, “The illegal withholding of this audio tape was election interference meant to protect a failing Biden and then Harris campaign. While we are happy we have fulfilled our promise to deliver the tape to the American people, they deserved it long ago. They now deserve accountability and to answer the fundamental question of who was the president the last four years.”

In 2024, the media defenders of the Biden administration, including CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig, argued that withholding the recording was appropriate to protect prosecutorial integrity.

In a piece entitled “The Secret Biden Tape We Shouldn’t Hear,” Honig argued, “As a current member of the media (and of the voting public), I’d like to cast scorn on Garland for his decision to withhold the Hur-Biden audio recording. But as a former prosecutor, I applaud him. We probably won’t ever hear the tape. And that’s for the best.”

Following the unexpected release of the recording, Honig did not respond when contacted by Blaze News for comment. But other media figures, including Honig’s CNN colleague Jake Tapper — Thompson’s co-author — appear to be working to rehabilitate their credibility in light of the tape’s contents.

That response has drawn sharp criticism from conservative media watchdogs. Curtis Houck, managing editor of MRC’s NewsBusters, accused the mainstream press of hypocrisy and opportunism.

“All of these liberal journalists expressing shock or dismay at the audio being released need to be lambasted and mocked,” Houck told Blaze News. “This is a blatant covering of one's behind and hoping the public isn't old enough to remember the scorn they heaped at Robert Hur when his report came out.”

Houck further lambasted the mainstream media, “The sadness and/or anger at Joe Biden over hearing him struggle with basic facts about his family is really about that he screwed them out of power in the year of our Lord 2025. This has nothing to do with contrition and the public shouldn't fall victim to their sorrow now. Sudden distrust in the last four years shouldn't be confused with genuine contrition and apologies for participating in a generational cover-up.”

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As more is being learned about the operations of the Biden presidency and the institutional cover-up of Biden’s mental decline, Howell told Blaze News that his organization’s fight to uncover what happened will continue: “Transparency and accountability are how our nation will heal. There is no other path.”

Editor’s note: Mike Howell is a contributor to Blaze News.