DOJ Issues Statement About Biden Tapes
The Justice Department has argued that it cannot release audio from President Biden's interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur due to the threat of potential deepfakes. This argument came to light in a Friday court filing amidst a legal challenge against Biden's efforts to use executive privilege to keep the recording from public access. The DOJ recognized that there's already enough public audio available to create AI deepfakes of both Biden and Hur. However, releasing the actual recording would make it harder to disprove any fake versions.
"The passage of time and advancements in audio, artificial intelligence, and ‘deep fake’ technologies only amplify concerns about malicious manipulation of audio files. If the audio recording is released here, it is easy to foresee that it could be improperly altered, and that the altered file could be passed off as an authentic recording and widely distributed," the department stated.
Associate Deputy Attorney General Bradley Weinsheimer elaborated, saying that releasing the tape would "make it far more likely that malicious actors could pass off a deepfake as the authentic recording."
Biden's administration is currently facing efforts from conservative legal groups and House Republicans to force the release of the audio. The DOJ has already made a transcript of the interview public, which disclosed several embarrassing moments for the president.
Biden met with Hur for about five hours last year, during which he was questioned about his handling of classified documents. Hur's report, released earlier this year, described Biden as forgetful but well-meaning, noting several instances where Biden could not recall key details about his life, including when he served as vice president and the year his son Beau died.
Biden was outraged by the report and subsequently made several false statements about his interview. For example, he claimed that Hur had brought up the topic of Beau's death, despite the transcript showing that Biden himself had introduced the topic.
"President Biden is apparently afraid for the citizens of this country and everyone to hear those tapes," House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said after Biden invoked executive privilege over the recording. "They obviously confirm what the special counsel has found, and would likely cause, I suppose, in his estimation, such alarm with the American people that the president is using all of his power to suppress their release."
Some Republicans have speculated that the transcript of the interview may not fully align with the audio, suggesting it could have been edited to avoid embarrassing the president. Weinsheimer refuted these claims in Friday's filing, asserting that only minor adjustments, such as removing repeated and filler words, were made to the transcript.
As the debate over the release of the recording continues, it highlights the complex interplay between transparency, security, and the evolving threat of deepfake technology. The DOJ's stance underscores the challenges posed by advancements in AI and the potential for malicious manipulation, raising important questions about how best to protect the integrity of public information in the digital age.