15th November, 2019
The transcript of the telephone conversation between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian new president Volodomyr Zelensky was largely fabricated, as it differs substantially from the readout released months ago, an American news website has claimed.
Daily Beast said the release of the transcript of President Donald Trump’s first call in April with Ukrainain president-elect Volodomyr Zelensky was meant to bolster the case that Trump had nothing but good intentions in his dealings with Ukraine—but it also showed a White House summary of the same call released to the public shortly after it occurred was largely fabricated.
The White House readout, a summary of the call released hours after it occurred, claimed Trump “underscored the unwavering support of the United States for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity—within its internationally recognized borders—and expressed his commitment to work together with President-elect Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people to implement reforms that strengthen democracy, increase prosperity, and root out corruption.”
“Such statements are nowhere to be found in the transcript of the call released by the president on Friday. That transcript shows Trump congratulating Zelensky on his recent election win, promising to arrange a White House visit for the new Ukrainian president, and recounting the large number of Ukrainaian women who participated in Trump’s Miss Universe competitions”, Daily Beast reporter Lachlan Mackay wrote.
“Nowhere does Trump mention efforts to address Ukrainian corruption, economic prosperity, or democratic institutions. Nor does he even allude to its efforts to beat back the Russian occupation of the Ukrainian territory of Crimea.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on those discrepancies.