DOJ Argues Biden-Hur Interview Recording Could Be Used to Spread Misinformation

The Department of Justice claimed that releasing the audio recording of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur would risk the spread of misinformation. 

For Context: Hur interviewed Biden for his investigation into the discovery of classified documents at Biden’s office and home. In a 383-page report, Hur mentioned that Biden had memory issues, which were evident during the interview. Multiple groups are suing to have the audio recordings of the interview released. 

Key Quotes: The DOJ submitted a court filing on Friday stating, “The passage of time and advancements in audio, artificial intelligence, and ‘deep fake’ technologies only amplify concerns about malicious manipulation of audio files. If the audio recording is released here, it is easy to foresee that it could be improperly altered, and that the altered file could be passed off as an authentic recording and widely distributed.” Mike Howell, executive director of the Heritage Foundation’s oversight project, one of the groups suing for the recordings, stated in response, “They don’t want to release this audio at all. They are doing the kitchen sink approach and they are absolutely freaked out. They don’t have any good legal argument to stand on.”

How the Media Covered It: Both the Associated Press (Lean Left bias) and The Hill (Center bias) noted examples of artificial intelligence technology being used to spread misinformation similar to the type cited by the DOJ. The National Review News (Lean Right bias) did not mention these examples.