Trump would be 'foolish' to release an incomplete Ukraine call transcript, explains a former White House Situation Room director
Just how thorough will the transcript of President Trump's conversation with Ukraine's president be?
That question's on everyone's mind ahead of the Wednesday release of what the president has described as the "complete, fully declassified and unredacted transcript" of his contentious call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during which Trump has admitted he brought up wanting Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden's son.
Ahead of the transcript's release, Larry Pfeiffer, former senior director of the White House Situation Room under former President Obama, explained on Twitter that there wouldn't be White House tapes of the call, but it's a "long-standing practice" to keep transcripts. How it works: the White House Situation Room monitors the call and "develops a verbatim working transcript," which the National Security Council directorate develops into a memorandum, which "can vary greatly from a lightly edited full transcript to a vaguely worded summary of the call."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Pfeiffer spoke further to The Washington Post and explained that Trump would be "foolish" not to release the full, unredacted transcript like he promised, as "if they release anything that looks less like a verbatim transcript, there are a handful of people involved in this process who could be fact witnesses for whether what was released is what was actually said."
Still, Pfeiffer notes he's not aware of any changes Trump may have made to the process, and James Goldgeier notes for the Post that even if the complete document is released, it "could be misleading in any number of ways," including by not having "captured the exact wording" of the call, which wouldn't be "for nefarious reasons but simply because of the note takers' limited capacity to write as they listen."
We'll have to remain in suspense about what's in the transcript for a just a bit longer, although Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani apparently doesn't.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
How safe are cruise ships in storms?
The Explainer The vessels are always prepared
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
What message is Trump sending with his Cabinet picks?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION By nominating high-profile loyalists like Matt Gaetz and RFK Jr., is Trump serious about creating a functioning Cabinet, or does he have a different plan in mind?
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Wyoming judge strikes down abortion, pill bans
Speed Read The judge said the laws — one of which was a first-in-the-nation prohibition on the use of medication to end pregnancy — violated the state's constitution
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
British warship repels 'largest Houthi attack to date' in the Red Sea
Speed read Western allies warn of military response to Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels if attacks on ships continue
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Houthi rebels claim Red Sea ship attacks
speed read Iran-backed Yemeni group vows to escalate aggression towards Israel-linked vessels in revenge for Gaza war
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Israel plans next phase of Gaza war as first hostages released
Speed read After four-day ceasefire 'we will not stop' until destruction of Hamas, says Israel
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Mob storms Russian airport 'looking for Jews'
Speed Read Plane from Israel surrounded by rioters chanting antisemitic slogans after landing in Russia's Dagestan region
By The Week UK Published
-
Tuberville's military promotions block is upending lives, combat readiness, 3 military branch chiefs say
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Ukraine's counteroffensive is making incremental gains. Does it matter in the broader war?
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
US commissions first-ever Navy ship in a foreign port
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
British spy chief, Wagner video suggest Prigozhin is alive and freely 'floating around'
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published