Biden ghostwriter may be held in contempt of Congress for not turning over materials in classified docs probe

The House Judiciary Committee released a report Tuesday recommending contempt of Congress charges against President Biden’s ghostwriter, who was revealed by federal investigators to have had classified material disclosed to him by the former vice president. 

Mark Zwonitzer has been accused by the Republican-led panel of failing to comply with a March congressional subpoena for documents, records and materials related to his work on Biden’s 2017 memoir “Promise Me, Dad” and the president’s 2021 book “Promises to Keep.”

“Zwonitzer continues to withhold all documents and materials in his possession that are responsive to the subpoena from the Committee,” the report states. “The materials requested from Zwonitzer are crucial for the Committee’s understanding of the manner and extent of President Biden’s mishandling and unlawful disclosure of classified materials, as well as Zwonitzer’s use, storage, and deletion of classified materials on his computer.”

The report argues that Zwonitzer’s failure to comply with the subpoena has “hindered the Committee’s ability to adequately conduct oversight of Special Counsel [Robert] Hur’s investigative findings, the Justice Department’s commitment to impartial justice, and the President’s retention and disclosure of classified materials.” 

The committee plans to hold a markup hearing on the contempt resolution Thursday, which would be followed by a vote to determine whether to send it to the full House of Representatives for consideration. 

Zwonitzer, 61, conducted several recorded interviews with Biden in 2017, during which the former vice president read “nearly verbatim” from notebooks that contained sensitive national security and foreign policy, according to Hur’s report on the Biden classified documents investigation. 

Zwonitzer, a private citizen was not authorized to receive classified information, raising legal questions against the 81-year-old president.

The ghostwriter deleted the recordings sometime after Hur was appointed by AG Merrick Garland in January 2023 to investigate whether the president had mishandled the classified material.

“The recordings had significant evidentiary value,” Hur wrote in his 388-page report, adding that he “considered whether to charge the ghostwriter with obstruction of justice” but decided against it.

In a transcript of one of the bombshell recordings, Biden tells Zwonitzer he “just found all the classified stuff downstairs,” referring to the home he was then renting in Virginia after leaving office.

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has demanded transcripts, audio and video recordings of Zwonitzer’s interviews with Biden. 

Zwonitzer’s attorney challenged the subpoena on several grounds, according to the report, arguing that it was “broad,” did not clearly state “how the materials [sought] … would further the purpose of [the Committee’s] legislative reform” and violated Zwonitzer’s First and Fifth Amendment rights.

“Finally, Zwonitzer claimed that the subpoenaed documents and materials ‘contain the President’s highly personal information,’ therefore he is not required to produce those materials,” the report states. 

Earlier this month, House Republicans voted along party lines to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over the audio files of Biden’s interview with Hur. 

The Justice Department refused to prosecute the Biden administration official.