{"id":2637050,"date":"2026-07-29T06:52:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T10:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-cant-release-biden-tapes-while-hiding-jack-smith-report-watchdog-says\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T06:55:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T10:55:17","slug":"doj-cant-release-biden-tapes-while-hiding-jack-smith-report-watchdog-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-cant-release-biden-tapes-while-hiding-jack-smith-report-watchdog-says\/","title":{"rendered":"DOJ can\u2019t release Biden tapes while hiding Jack Smith report, watchdog says"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdoj-cant-release-biden-tapes-while-hiding-jack-smith-report-watchdog-says%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2637050&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mailing-it-in-swing-state-ballot-lawsuits-could-shape-2024-presidential-race-washington-examiner-2\/\" title=\"Swing State Ballot Lawsuits May Impact 2024 Presidential Race - Washington Examiner\">article discusses ongoing legal battles<\/a> over the release of classified and investigative documents related to President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. The Justice Department\u2019s efforts to release Biden\u2019s private memoir tapes are challenged by legal groups citing First Amendment concerns, arguing that the public deserves access to such data. Simultaneously, a court case seeks to overturn a federal judge\u2019s order that bars the release of Jack Smith\u2019s classified documents report, emphasizing the public\u2019s right to scrutinize high-profile investigations. The article highlights the legal conflict surrounding openness, government secrecy, and the rights of the public to access information, including related cases involving Biden\u2019s taped conversations and a recent indictment of a former DOJ prosecutor involved with the Smith report.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\">Justice Department<\/a>\u2019s successful push to release former President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\">Joe Biden<\/a>\u2019s private memoir tapes is undercutting the Trump administration\u2019s effort to keep former special counsel <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jack-smith\/\">Jack Smith<\/a>\u2019s classified documents report under seal, a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/first-amendment\/\">First Amendment<\/a> watchdog argued Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University and American Oversight filed a brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit to overturn U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4467511\/judge-permanently-blocks-release-trump-classified-documents-report\/\">permanent injunction<\/a> barring the report\u2019s release. The groups said neither the DOJ nor President Donald Trump\u2019s legal team, which both seek to keep the report under wraps, has justified why the public\u2019s right of access should be overridden.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4666418\/doj-cant-release-biden-tapes-while-hiding-jack-smith-report-watchdog\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>DOJ can\u2019t release Biden tapes while hiding Jack Smith report, watchdog says<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4666676\/colt-gray-life-sentencing-apalachee-high-school-shooting\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Teenager gets life without parole for killing four at Georgia\u2019s Apalachee High School<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4666202\/judge-allows-trump-refile-15-billion-lawsuit-against-new-york-times\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Judge allows Trump to refile $15 billion lawsuit against the New York Times<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith testifies before the House Judiciary Committee.<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-image-caption=&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith testifies before the House Judiciary Committee at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026.\u00a0(AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/07\/localimages\/AP26022622942934.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith testifies before the House Judiciary Committee at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026.\u00a0(AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe government has not argued that the public\u2019s right of access has been overcome here,\u201d attorneys for the free speech advocacy group wrote in its reply brief, urging the appeals court not to allow Smith\u2019s Volume II report to remain permanently sealed without that showing.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The filing comes as <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4665242\/biden-ghostwriter-tapes-released-after-legal-battle\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4665242\/biden-ghostwriter-tapes-released-after-legal-battle\/\">nearly 70 hours of audio recordings<\/a> from Biden\u2019s conversations with his ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer, became public following a two-year legal fight. The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/static.itsyourgov.org\/Biden_Zwonitzer_Interview_Transcripts.pdf\">recordings<\/a>, cited in former special counsel Robert Hur\u2019s investigation into Biden\u2019s handling of classified documents, include Biden discussing material he believed may have been classified.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Biden administration had fought for nearly two years to block their release, but after leaving office, the Trump DOJ reversed its litigation position regarding Freedom of Information Act disclosures and Privacy Act protections for uncharged investigative materials. Biden later filed <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4583038\/biden-sues-doj-audio-hur-investigation\/\">a lawsuit in May<\/a> challenging the department\u2019s reversal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Biden ultimately lost at both the federal district and appeals court in Washington, D.C., and he dropped his appeal after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled 2-1 against him this month. That move helped set the stage <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4665242\/biden-ghostwriter-tapes-released-after-legal-battle\/\">for the conservative Oversight Project\u2019s victory<\/a> on Monday in <em>Heritage v. U.S. Department of Justice<\/em>, resulting in the release of the previously shielded interview tapes.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The plaintiffs seeking the release of Smith\u2019s report pointed to that ruling in a footnote in their brief, asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit to revisit Cannon\u2019s order shielding Smith\u2019s report. The appeal is part of litigation in the 11th Circuit over whether Cannon\u2019s injunction can stand.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">A passage from the Knight First Amendment Institute\u2019s 11th Circuit brief citing the Biden memoir-tapes ruling in support of releasing Jack Smith\u2019s classified-documents report.<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/07\/localimages\/f18869ab0790f828cc80e86a1cceeef6ae7fc45995c6189eb992c512a12baebb.png?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A passage from the Knight First Amendment Institute\u2019s 11th Circuit brief citing the Biden memoir tapes ruling in support of releasing Jack Smith\u2019s classified documents report.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf the government does not oppose that motion, and the court grants it, that information, no matter its public import, will remain forever hidden because there is no avenue for a third party to challenge the order,\u201d the group wrote, calling the Biden tapes litigation \u201ccuriously familiar.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Washington appeals court found the public has a \u201cweighty\u201d and \u201csignificant\u201d interest in scrutinizing special counsel investigations, even when they do not result in charges.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">American Oversight, a left-of-center group known for targeting Trump with open records requests, asserts that the public interest is even stronger in the Smith case because prosecutors charged Trump and two co-defendants before the case was ultimately dismissed.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-the-lawsuit-challenging-judge-s-permanent-order-to-block-smith-s-report\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The lawsuit challenging judge\u2019s permanent order to block Smith\u2019s report<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cannon, an appointee of Trump, first blocked the Biden-era DOJ from releasing Smith\u2019s Volume II report in January last year, days after Trump returned to office. The order was designed to protect the fair-trial rights of Trump associates Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, who were charged alongside Trump in the classified documents case.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The case against Trump had already been dismissed in July 2024 after Cannon <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4467511\/judge-permanently-blocks-release-trump-classified-documents-report\/\">ruled Smith\u2019s appointment was unlawful<\/a>. The remaining charges against Nauta and De Oliveira later collapsed as well with Trump\u2019s return to the Oval Office.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, Cannon <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.flsd.648654\/gov.uscourts.flsd.648654.779.0.pdf\">made the injunction permanent in February<\/a>, ruling that releasing the report would violate \u201cbasic notions of fairness and justice\u201d because the defendants were never convicted. She also cited concerns about grand jury secrecy and attorney-client material.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The current DOJ, Trump, Nauta, and De Oliveira have all opposed disclosure. America First Legal Foundation, in a March <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.ca11.94369\/gov.uscourts.ca11.94369.58.0.pdf\">amicus brief <\/a>supporting Cannon\u2019s ruling, argued that releasing the report after the prosecution\u2019s collapse would be unfair and would improperly publicize untested allegations from Smith\u2019s investigation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and has described Smith\u2019s Mar-a-Lago investigation, including the FBI\u2019s 2022 search of his Florida residence, as politically motivated.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"h-smith-s-report-subject-of-recently-indicted-former-prosecutor\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Smith\u2019s report subject of recently indicted former prosecutor<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The continued secrecy of Volume II gained renewed attention after a former federal prosecutor <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4577075\/former-prosecutor-charged-disguising-jack-smith-report-cake-recipe\/\">was indicted in May<\/a> on charges alleging she downloaded and emailed herself a copy of the report.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4665242\/biden-ghostwriter-tapes-released-after-legal-battle\/\">BIDEN GHOSTWRITER TAPES RELEASED AFTER FORMER PRESIDENT FORFEITS LEGAL BATTLE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Carmen Lineberger, formerly a managing assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of Florida, is accused of saving the report under the file name \u201cBundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf\u201d before allegedly sending it from her DOJ account to a personal email. She has pleaded not guilty. The indictment does not allege whether Lineberger intended to distribute the document.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 11th Circuit has not said when it will rule on the transparency groups\u2019 appeal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Justice Dept. release of Biden tapes challenges Smith report seal<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2637051,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AP26022611927227-e1785287733387.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[5045,3976,4901,5894,12404],"class_list":["post-2637050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-government","tag-investigation","tag-justice","tag-politics","tag-transparency"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AP26022611927227-e1785287733387.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2637050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2637050"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2637050\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2637054,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2637050\/revisions\/2637054"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2637051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2637050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2637050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2637050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}