During Thursday’s “PBS NewsHour,” co-host Amna Nawaz and NPR National Justice Correspondent Carrie Johnson discussed President Joe Biden invoking executive privilege to block the release of audio recordings from Special Counsel Robert Hur’s investigation.
President Biden had claimed that Hur had mischaracterized the interviews when the transcripts were released, but now refuses to release the audio recordings.
Johnson agreed that the White House may have decided it’s better to face criticism for withholding the audio rather than risk having it used against the President in campaign ads for the upcoming election.
This decision has put the White House in a difficult position, as Nawaz pointed out. The White House counsel expressed concerns that releasing the audio could lead to it being manipulated for political purposes. Ultimately, the White House seems willing to endure criticism over this issue to avoid potential negative repercussions in the future.
