President Joe Biden’s lawyers are expected to object to the Justice Department’s release of redacted written transcripts and audio recordings of Biden’s 2017 interactions with his book ghostwriter, according to a new court filing.

“President Biden, through counsel, has advised the Department that he intends to seek to intervene to prevent any such disclosures,” Assistant Attorney General Civil Division Brett Shumate wrote in a filing from a Freedom of Information Act request from the Heritage Foundation’s Mike Howell. “The Department does not oppose intervention.”

There is a Tuesday deadline for Biden’s lawyers to respond to the DOJ’s release for a response to Howell’s FOIA request, which would come shortly after Tuesday if there was no objection.

Shumate noted the release of 70 hours of redacted recordings would be delayed until June 15 if Biden objects before the deadline.

BIDEN INTERVIEW AUDIO REVEALS WHO BROUGHT UP BEAU’S DEATH — AND IT WASN’T HUR

Audio from former President Joe Biden’s 2017 interview with a ghostwriter was obtained by Special Counsel Robert Hur’s investigation during the Biden administration. (Getty Images)

“Defendant intends to disclose the written transcript and audio recordings at issue in this matter, with redactions, to Congress, pursuant to a request from the Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, as well as to Plaintiffs,” the filing in Howell’s FOIA lawsuit with the DOJ read.

The interactions came between Biden and his ghostwriter for the 2017 book: “Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose.” The audio and transcript were obtained by special counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents after the Obama administration ended, which included storing them in his garage and at the Penn Biden Center.

“President Biden cooperated fully with special counsel Hur, and agreed to provide audiotapes of conversations with his biographer for a book about his deceased son on the condition that they would not be made public,” Biden spokesperson TJ Ducklo told Politico in a statement Sunday. “The DOJ themselves have said these tapes serve no public interest.

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS RELEASE OF JACK SMITH REPORT’S SECOND VOLUME

Former President Joe Biden’s spokesman TJ Ducklo told Politico of the intentions of objecting to Tuesday’s release of audio and transcripts of Biden’s 2017 conversations with a ghostwriter. (Fox News)

“What’s happening now isn’t about transparency. It’s about politics,” Ducklo continued. “If this Administration were genuinely committed to transparency, they would release Volume 2 of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on Donald Trump’s own alleged mishandling of classified documents. That report contains information Americans actually deserve to see.”

Fox News reached out to Ducklo for independent confirmation on this report and has not yet heard back.

The FOIA requester remains in pursuit of the documents.

CONSERVATIVES REACT TO LEAKED BIDEN AUDIO ON SOCIAL MEDIA: ‘THIS IS PAINFUL’

Special Counsel Robert Hur described President Joe Biden as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” reflecting the impression Biden left on debate viewers. (Getty Images)

“These tapes will further prove the massive lie regarding Biden’s fitness for office and the fact Biden revealed classified information,” Howell, president of Heritage’s Oversight Project, told Politico. “The shenanigans aren’t over: At the last possible second, and after every delay tactic possible, the autopen is objecting to the American People receiving transparency. “

Hur concluded his investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents, noting longstanding DOJ policy of not indicting a sitting president and saying a jury would be sympathetic to the oldest sitting American president, 82, because he was a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

“It appears that after lengthy negotiation covering several months — at no point seeking to intervene into this case on a timely basis — President Biden has changed position and now seeks to even enjoin release of the portions of transcripts that match exact phrases quoted in the Hur Report,” Shumate’s filing Friday read.

GREGG JARRETT: BIDEN, THE ‘MARIONETTE PRESIDENT; AND THE CASE OF THE RUNAWAY AUTOPEN

“The potential intervention by former President Biden and the new development of a discretionary release to the House Judiciary Committee in response to their March 23, 2026 letter, raises a number of issues”:

“As Plaintiffs understand the matter, President Biden would need an order barring release in this case and an order enjoining the Department from producing to the House Judiciary Committee all by June 15, 2026.”

The DOJ also accuses Biden’s lawyers of slow-walking responses and rejecting deadlines.

BIDEN WHITE HOUSE AIDES FACE OVERSIGHT DEADLINE AMID THREAT OF SUBPOENAS

“President Biden’s lead counsel was unable to provide any information about President Biden’s submissions arguing that such discussion was somehow premature (whereas, in reality it is 16 months late) and incredibly indicating that despite the June 15, 2026 production date, the motion to intervene would not be filed until mid-next week and that President Biden would seek up to three days after a ruling granting a motion to intervene to submit a proposed schedule for substantive relief,” the filing read.

“That is no way to conduct litigation and smacks of kicking the can down the road to justify delaying the June 15, 2026 production by some form of administrative injunction.”

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The DOJ issued a new warning of Tuesday’s deadline, regardless.

READ THE COURT FILING – APP USERS, CLICK HERE:

“The public deserves to hear the tapes and read the transcripts as redacted by President Donald J. Trump’s Department of Justice,” Shumate’s filing concluded. “Plaintiffs regret that they are currently unable to assist the Court in this process due to the repeated failure of counsel for President Biden to engage with Plaintiffs on this matter, putting off even initial substantive conversations until next week.”

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CBS “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan challenged Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu on the party’s midterm election messaging, saying Democrats “lost” the fight over the record-setting Department of Homeland Security shutdown.

“OK, so you still believe that Democrats can retake the House?” Brennan asked Lieu, who represents California’s 36th Congressional District. “What is your main message?”

“The American people voted in Donald Trump because they wanted lower costs and he lied to them,” Lieu replied. “We have surging inflation, skyrocketing gas prices. The Trump tariffs have raised costs across many products across America. People are drowning in debt and in bills, and Democrats are going to reduce health care costs, lower costs across the board, reduce your energy costs. That’s the message we’re—”

“How are you going to do that?” Brennan interjected. “Democrats shut down the government to have an argument over health care, and they didn’t get any policy concessions, and premiums went up. You lost that fight.”

DEMOCRATS STRUGGLE FOR COHESIVE MESSAGING STRATEGY AMID SHUTDOWN STANDOFF

Rep. Ted Lieu speaks during a press conference at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 3, 2026. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

Lieu responded that the House passed an extension of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits for three years and urged the Senate to also pass that legislation.

Lieu added that “when we get control, we’re going to reverse the massive Medicaid cuts, the Medicare cuts and the cuts to ACA that Trump and Republicans put in last year.”

Rep. Ted Lieu on Face the Nation (CBS News)

TRUMP ENDS DHS’ MONTHS-LONG NIGHTMARE THAT LEFT IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT WITHOUT FUNDING

The DHS shutdown began Feb. 14. On April 30, President Donald Trump signed a bill funding much of the agency, ending a record-setting 75-day funding lapse.

A U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection sign is displayed at the Customs and Border Protection Headquarters in Washington, D.C., on May 18, 2025. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

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Notably, however, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will remain unfunded under the current legislation.

Kirk Bangstad, the controversial Wisconsin brewery owner who seemed to offer free beer on Facebook for the assassination of President Donald Trump, is currently seeking the requisite 2,000 signatures for his burgeoning campaign for governor, warning his party he will win the primary if they try to silence him.

“I will win the primary if they don’t let me speak: I guarantee you that,” Bangstad told WISN 12 News this week when asked about speaking at the state Democratic convention.

Bangstad, the owner of Minocqua Brewing Company (MBC), launched his campaign for Wisconsin governor after drawing national scrutiny for a social media post that appeared on the brewery’s Facebook page after an alleged assassination attempt against Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.

“Well, we almost got #freebeerday,” the April 12 post read just minutes after the WHCA Dinner security event. “Either a brother or sister in the Resistance needs to work on their marksmanship or he faked another assassination to get a positive news cycle. We’ll never know. Regardless, we stand at the ready to pour free beer the day it happens.”

WISCONSIN DEM’S BAR LAMENTS ‘WE ALMOST GOT FREE BEER DAY’ FOR TRUMP ASSASSINATION

The Minocqua Brewing Company is shown in a Google Earth image amid controversy over its “free beer day” campaign referencing the anticipated death of President Donald Trump. (Google Maps)

The news spread so far on social media and in the news that it drew a visit from the U.S. Secret Service and the FBI days later, but Bangstad contends it was merely satirical commentary and not a dog whistle for political violence from leftist radicals like the past three Trump assassination attempts.

“It was satire,” he told WISN 12. “I meant it as satire. I’ve said that all along and it was taken out of context in order to create a feeding frenzy by the media, which it did, and allow Republicans to paint Democrats as politically violent.”

There has been caution from Democrats about Bangstad’s rhetoric for weeks, but it has not stopped him, and he acknowledged it led to his jumping into the gubernatorial race after the federal law enforcement visit, and even has proven lucrative for fundraising, if not his brewery business.

“Remember there was another half of that post that said, ‘or Donald Trump is trying to fake an assassination attempt to get a better news cycle,” Bangstad told WISN 12. “The first part was satire that was trying to set off the second part.”

WISCONSIN MOM ‘SEETHING’ AFTER DEMOCRATS GIVE HER 8-YEAR-OLD SON A CHILLING BRACELET CALLING FOR TRUMP’S DEATH

Minocqua Brewing Company posted an offer for free beer when a man dies on its Facebook page. (Screenshot/Facebook)

Bangstad said he resurfaced his “free beer day” MBC business campaign because “the assassination attempt seemed staged,” acknowledging it has allowed him to gain “name recognition.”

Bangstad pointed to his “250,000 followers on Facebook” and “170,000 subscribers to our Substack page.”

“Most of those people are progressives and a lot of those are progressives who live in Wisconsin, so I would think I have the best name recognition in the state of Wisconsin right now,” Bangstad continued.

“The Democratic Party who has a terrible approval rating across the country and in Wisconsin can say all they want to about me. I’m a true Democrat, a true progressive Democrat, and I have more name recognition than everybody in this race save for probably Mandela Barnes.”

DEM LAWMAKER SPARKS ONLINE OUTRAGE FOR BLAMING TRUMP’S LOW APPROVAL FOR WHCA DINNER SHOOTING

A split image of the Minocqua Brewing Company and its owner Kirk Bangstad. Photos taken on unknown dates. (Google Maps; Facebook/Minocqua Brewing Company)

If he was blocked from speaking at the June 13-14 Wisconsin Democratic convention at the Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison, Bangstad vowed, “I’d speak anyway; I’d speak outside the front door.”

“And if they try to not let me speak, they’re going to put me in office,” Bangstad said. “Let’s be honest.

“If they restrict my speech as a fellow Democrat, they are going to do so much harm to their appearance, and they’re going to do so much harm to other candidates, I will win the primary if they don’t let me speak. I guarantee you that.”

Bangstad said he has not “gotten that far” on whether he will attend the Democratic convention in June.

MANDELA BARNES JUMPS INTO WISCONSIN GOVERNOR RACE — BUT BAGGAGE FROM HIS 2022 SENATE BID FOLLOWS

The Minocqua Brewing Company building is located in Wisconsin. The company has a history of promoting progressive politics. (Screenshot/Google Earth)

“I’ve got to get my 2,000 signatures by June 1 – obviously, I’m in the race really late; we’ve got a month to get 2,000 signatures,” he said.

“I will of course attend the Democratic convention, I’m a Democrat. I want to drag the Democratic Party kicking and screaming to a realistic place that’s not owned by big money, and that’s what I plan to do.

“And I think I can get there in Wisconsin.”

FORMER NAVY SEAL AND ‘POLITICAL OUTSIDER’ ANNOUNCES GOP CAMPAIGN FOR WISCONSIN GOVERNOR

The Wisconsin primary is Aug. 11, but getting the signatures and his name out there is a first priority, according to Bangstad, admitting the campaign as “raised a ton of money so far” while demurring on exactly how much.

“I’ve got oodles of money in Facebook followers, in Substack followers, the equivalent of that in my being able to reach people and give them my message,” he said.

Bangstad’s small brewery has long leaned into liberal politics, selling progressive-themed merchandise and promoting itself through anti-Trump messaging and shirts reading, “I wish it was free beer day.”

PATTERN OF LEFTIST VIOLENCE GROWS AS TRUMP NEARS 10 MONTHS IN OFFICE

The controversy escalated after the April 25 security scare at the WHCA Dinner in Washington, D.C., where authorities say Cole Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, attempted to storm a Secret Service checkpoint with a loaded shotgun and other weapons. Allen was ordered held without bail, facing life in prison for attempted assassination of the president and assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon.

After the brewery’s post, the FBI and Secret Service confirmed they followed up on the matter and conducted a voluntary interview with Bangstad.

“The U.S. Secret Service follows up on perceived threats against the President of the United States or any one of our protectees,” the agencies said in a joint statement to Fox News. “The FBI and Secret Service together followed up on information received and conducted further investigative steps, which included a voluntary interview with the individual. This is an ongoing matter and we do not have further comment.”

Former Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes might be the only gubernatorial candidate with more ‘name recognition,’ according to Kirk Bangstad. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

HASAN PIKER NO-SHOWS PRO-COMMUNIST EVENT OVER ALLEGED SAFETY FEARS WHILE MOCKING TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

Bangstad livestreamed part of the encounter with two suited men who questioned him about whether he knew anyone who wanted to harm Trump or supported anyone who wanted to harm the president. The brewery also posted what it said was a transcription of a voicemail from a person Bangstad identified as a Secret Service agent and urged supporters to call the number.

Bangstad, a former Democrat candidate for Wisconsin’s 34th Assembly District, lost his 2020 general election bid. He also founded the Minocqua Brewing Company super PAC, which has targeted Trump and Republicans, and previously sued to keep Trump off Wisconsin’s 2024 ballot.

The latest controversy also put pressure on other Wisconsin Democrats who have past ties to Bangstad.

Trump-backed House candidate Michael Alfonso accused Democrats of trying to avoid the issue, pointing to Bangstad’s connections to Democrats in the state.

POPULAR LEFT-WING PODCAST HOSTS PUSH CONSPIRACY THEORY THAT TRUMP STAGED ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON HIMSELF

“This brewery is owned by a man named Kirk Bangstad, and he’s not just some random crazy guy,” Alfonso wrote on X. “Kirk is friends with current Democratic gubernatorial frontrunner Francesca Hong. He previously employed Rebecca Cooke, the Democrat currently running against Derrick Van Orden, and was himself the Democratic nominee against my father-in-law, Sean Duffy, in Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District—where I am now running for office.”

Cooke’s campaign denounced political violence but did not mention Bangstad by name in its response to Fox News.

“This rhetoric is dangerous and unacceptable – showcasing just how broken our political system is,” Cooke said through her campaign manager. “I denounce all forms of political violence.

“We need to bring the temperature down, stop pitting working folks against each other, and come together to solve the very serious problems facing our communities.”

A Google maps image of the Minocqua Brewing Company in Minocqua, Wisconsin, taken on an unknown date. (Google Maps)

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The National Republican Congressional Committee said Cooke’s response was insufficient and called on her to directly name her former employer.

“Rebecca Cooke needs to stop hiding and immediately denounce her former employer, Kirk Bangstad’s dangerous and unhinged comments,” NRCC spokesman Zach Bannon told Fox News. “Cooke’s previous employment by Bangstad makes her silence even more unacceptable. Voters deserve to know whether she stands with Wisconsinites who reject this rhetoric or with the same extremist voices pushing it.”

Hong also responded in a series of X posts after Fox News Digital reached out, condemning the normalization of political violence but not naming Bangstad. When asked specifically about the brewery or owner, Hong campaign manager Becky Cooper pointed back to the posts.

“That would fall under the ‘becoming numb’ portion,” Cooper told Fox News, declining to denounce Bangstad by name. “MBC’s tweet is intentionally inflammatory and a symptom of the normalization of political violence.”

LIBERAL WISCONSIN BREWING COMPANY PROMISES ‘FREE BEER, ALL DAY LONG’ AFTER TRUMP DIES

Wisconsin Republicans and national GOP figures have seized on the episode as evidence of overheated rhetoric on the left.

“Wisconsin Democrats are so sick in the head that an attempted murder is funny to them,” RNC spokeswoman Delanie Bomar told Fox News. “All Wisconsin Democrats, including Rebecca Cooke, must immediately condemn this disgusting behavior.”

Bangstad has also drawn scrutiny outside his anti-Trump messaging. Wisconsin Public Radio reported last year that he had been charged in a harassment case tied to a dispute with a local newspaper publisher.

“We only give comments to legitimate news organizations, not state propaganda agencies,” Bangstad told Fox News Digital after a request for comment about the Secret Service and FBI visit. “However, maybe one of our customers might want to respond to your question.”

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Fox News reached out to Bangstad for further comment Sunday and has not yet heard back.

Fox News has also reached out to the campaigns for Hong, Cooke and Barnes, along with the Wisconsin Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee.

Fox News’ Peter D’Abrosca contributed to this report.

The death of legendary Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox hit hard across the baseball world this weekend, but nobody summed up his impact better than longtime Braves star Chipper Jones.

Jones, who spent nearly his entire MLB career playing under Cox in Atlanta, shared an emotional tribute on X after learning of the Hall of Fame skipper’s death at age 84.

“I can’t stay quiet in this time of loss,” Jones wrote. “I’m struggling to tell all what Bobby Cox meant to me and so many others in Braves Country.”

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Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox and Chipper Jones are seated in the dugout against the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas, on June 17, 2008. (Mark J. Rebilas/US PRESSWIRE)

Jones went on to call Cox “the leader of men and a second father to so many Atlanta Braves [through the years].”

The two were connected for virtually Jones’ entire baseball life. Cox selected Jones with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1990 MLB Draft and managed him from his 1993 debut through the end of Cox’s managerial career in 2010. Under Cox, the Braves became one of baseball’s defining dynasties — winning 14 consecutive division titles, five National League pennants and the 1995 World Series.

Jones credited Cox not only for changing the Braves franchise, but for shaping his entire career.

“He’s probably the number one reason I played my entire career for the Braves,” Jones said. “He gave me the opportunity to play baseball by drafting me.”

Even in the midst of grieving, Jones found himself hearing Cox’s voice while watching his sons play baseball on the day of the legendary manager’s passing.

“I can’t help but shout the same things he did from the corner of the dugout,” Jones wrote. “‘Come on kid, [you] got this!’”

CHIPPER JONES RESPONDS TO CLAIM PITTING BRIAN SNITKER AGAINST LEGENDARY BRAVES MANAGER BOBBY COX

And in true baseball-guy fashion, Jones joked that Cox may have still been pulling strings from above.

“My boys won both of their games,” Jones added. “Bobby had a hand, I have no doubt!”

But Jones wasn’t the only Braves legend reflecting on Cox’s impact.

Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox congratulates pitcher Tom Glavine after the Braves beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 in game one of the World Series on Oct. 17, 1992, in Atlanta. (Chris Wilkins/AFP)

Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Glavine remembered Cox’s unmatched passion and loyalty to his players.

“The minute he came down in that dugout, in full uniform with his spikes on and ready to go, there was just a passion to win the game and fight for every inch of advantage he could get for his players,” Glavine said.

John Smoltz credited Cox for changing the course of his career entirely.

“He gave you confidence when you didn’t have it yourself,” Smoltz said. “I’m not a Hall of Famer without him.”

Manager Bobby Cox of the Atlanta Braves high fives teammates before the game against the New York Mets at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 8, 2005. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, fellow Braves star Andruw Jones echoed Chipper’s sentiment that Cox became an additional father figure to so many players.

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“Bobby meant everything to me in my baseball career,” Andruw Jones said. “I’ve said this before, he was like my second dad.”

That theme keeps surfacing over and over in the aftermath of Cox’s death. Not just respect for one of baseball’s greatest managers — but genuine love for the man who helped build the Braves into a powerhouse and treated generations of players like family.