The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently informed a legal group that the release of records from Joe Biden’s time as vice president, including communications related to his son Hunter Biden, will be delayed until after the 2024 presidential election.
This development comes as America First Legal, a conservative legal group, continues its legal battle to obtain these records, which are central to questions surrounding Biden’s official communications and potential involvement in Hunter Biden’s business dealings during his tenure as vice president.
America First Legal originally filed its lawsuit in 2022, seeking access to communications between Joe Biden and members of his family, including Hunter Biden and Joe’s brother James Biden, regarding several business matters.
The group’s efforts to access these documents, however, have been met with repeated delays, largely attributed to bureaucratic hurdles at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and, more recently, legal maneuvers by the Biden administration.
In their latest attempt to obtain these records, the group was notified by the DOJ that President Biden’s legal team, along with representatives of former President Barack Obama, had invoked the Presidential Records Act to delay the release of the requested documents.
The Presidential Records Act, specifically 44 U.S.C. § 2208(a)(3)(B), allows for certain records to be withheld from public release for a period of time under specific circumstances.
This legal maneuver now means that key documents, including emails related to Hunter Biden’s business dealings, will not be made public until after the November 2024 election.
America First Legal expressed frustration over the delay, accusing the Biden administration of using the law to conceal potentially damaging information until after the election.
In a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter), the group wrote: “We have just been notified by the Biden-Harris DOJ that President Biden’s lawyers and President Obama’s legal representatives have claimed an extension under the Presidential Records Act, delaying the public release of records from Joe Biden’s time as Vice President, including records relating to Hunter Biden and his foreign business dealings, by the National Archives.”
The group further alleged that this delay is an intentional effort by the Biden administration to avoid public scrutiny before the election.
“In other words, Biden, Obama, and NARA are concealing these potentially explosive records until the day after the 2024 election, November 6, 2024,” America First Legal said in its statement.
The records in question reportedly include emails sent from Joe Biden’s private email account during his time as vice president.
These emails are of particular interest because they allegedly reveal direct coordination between Biden’s office and his son Hunter’s business dealings.
Among the blocked records are communications involving James Biden, Hunter Biden’s firm Rosemont Seneca, and other figures involved in their business ventures.
Some of the specific communications being withheld include emails about “photographs from a White House visit of Vice President Biden with James Biden” as well as correspondence related to “preparation of Vice President Biden’s final tax forms and financial disclosures for the year 2015.”
These documents, according to America First Legal, could provide insight into how the vice president’s office handled matters related to Hunter Biden’s foreign business interests and whether any conflicts of interest existed.
This isn’t the first time that Biden’s use of a private email account for official business has raised concerns. Previous records obtained by America First Legal have already revealed that Joe Biden, as vice president, used a private email address to conduct government business.
Such revelations have fueled ongoing controversies about transparency and the Biden family’s financial ties, particularly Hunter Biden’s dealings in Ukraine, China, and other foreign countries.
The timing of this latest delay has raised eyebrows, given the proximity to the upcoming election.
Critics argue that withholding potentially damaging information until after the election gives Biden and his campaign an unfair advantage, as voters will not have the opportunity to fully assess his record before casting their ballots.
The delay also highlights ongoing concerns about the transparency and accountability of public officials.
The Presidential Records Act is designed to protect certain communications involving the president and vice president from immediate public release, but it also includes provisions that allow for records to be made available after a specified period of time.
The Biden legal team’s decision to invoke this law just one month before the election has drawn criticism from America First Legal and other conservative groups who argue that the administration is using the law as a shield to avoid political damage.
As the legal battle continues, it remains unclear what the eventual release of these documents might reveal. However, for now, voters will have to wait until after November 6, 2024, to see the full extent of the communications between Joe Biden and his family during his vice presidency.
Whether the contents of those records will have any significant impact on the election remains to be seen, but the timing of their release will undoubtedly fuel speculation and controversy in the months leading up to Election Day.
