Staff Reports
Shocking allegations, public records and a very inconvenient audio tape — welcome to the latest archive drama. Former White House stenographer Mike McCormick told Newsmax viewers the National Archives is “deleting some material” tied to Former President Joe Biden just as memoir tapes and transcripts were forced into the open. Those are big claims. They deserve answers, not hand-waving from career bureaucrats.
What Mike McCormick said — and what we can actually verify
On Newsmax’s Finnerty, Mike McCormick accused the National Archives (NARA) of deleting Biden-related material while also talking about the newly released Biden recordings. McCormick has repeated archive-removal claims on his Substack and in conservative outlets. That pattern is worth noting. But here’s the plain fact: I could not find a public Newsmax clip or transcript that exactly matches the wording of the “NARA deleting” claim, and there is no public archive log or NARA press release confirming intentional deletions of Biden materials. In other words, the allegation is serious, but currently unverified by official NARA records.
What the released Biden recordings actually show
The tape-and-transcript release itself is indisputable. After a FOIA fight and court rulings, DOJ turned over redacted audio and transcripts of interviews Former President Joe Biden gave to his memoir co-writer. Reporters have highlighted passages where Biden references notes that may have contained classified material and moments where his memory or verbal fluency stuttered. Special Counsel filings and committee reports also recorded that the ghostwriter deleted some audio files before investigators collected materials — a fact that is on the public record and raises real questions about custody and preservation of important records.
NARA’s role and the problem of missing answers
The National Archives has a published process for handling unauthorized disposition of federal records, and it investigates loss or destruction when reported. But I found no public NARA statement admitting any active deletions of Biden-related records. If McCormick has proof — file names, cached pages, screenshots, or formal case numbers — now is the time to show them. Absent that, we’re left with an allegation and a federal agency that needs to be pushed to explain itself. If the Archives is hiding behind procedure while material disappears, that’s worse than incompetence — it’s an institutional failure.
The bottom line: demand transparency, not spin
Conservatives should be the first to insist on a fair, paper-trail answer. If material was deleted, who did it and why? If it wasn’t, why did a former stenographer see something that looks like erasure? Journalists and lawmakers must press NARA for records, request the inspector general open an inquiry, and insist McCormick turn over on-the-record evidence. The released Biden recordings already raised uncomfortable questions; let’s not let the rest be swept into an archival black hole. America deserves clarity — and anybody who prefers fog over facts should be prepared for the spotlight.
