Transcript tampering? DOJ says written record of Biden interview with prosecutors omitted words

Even though the Justice Department stated that the transcript was altered, it still contains some repeat and filler words.

Published: June 2, 2024 12:18pm

Updated: June 3, 2024 8:14am

The Justice Department admitted in a federal court document that the transcript of President Joe Biden's interview with special counsel Robert Hur regarding his handling of classified documents omitted some repeated words and filler words such as "um." 

The Justice Department has refused to turn over the audio tapes of Biden's interview to Congress, citing concerns about "deep fake" technology that could allow the audio to be altered and presented as authentic. 

"Aside from minor inconsistencies (such as repeated words or the use of filler words such as 'um'), the audio recording of the interview accurately reflects the words spoken during the interview," the Justice Department said in a court filing Friday in response to a case filed by the conservative legal watchdog Judicial Watch, as well as the Heritage Foundation and a media coalition led by CNN.

Even though the Justice Department states that the transcript has been altered, it still includes some repeated and filler words. For example, the transcript showed Biden said, "and, and" more than 20 times.

"The transcript is not accurate and was changed in a way to help Biden," Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said. "There is nothing ordinary about this, and the transcript inaccuracy issues seem to help Biden’s political campaign needs." 

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