Please stop calling Trump’s Ukraine call Memo a transcript. The so-called “transcript” states that it is a “Memo” and not a transcript. Here is the warning that comes with the “Memo:”
Memo of July 25 Trump-Zelensky phone call: CAUTION: A Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation (TELCON) is not a verbatim transcript of a discussion. The text in this document records the notes and recollections of Situation Room Duty Officers and NSC policy staff assigned to listen and memorialize the conversation in written form as the conversation takes place. A number of factors can affect the accuracy of the record, including poor telecommunications connections and variations in accent and/or interpretation. The word “inaudible” is used to indicate portions of a conversation that the notetaker was unable to hear.
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The “Memo” itself says that it was created from the notes and recollection of staff members. This was not a verbatim transcript made by a professional stenographer. Rather, it was more like in a meeting where someone takes notes of the meeting and writes up a summary afterward.
But, strangely in this case, they have reconstructed a fake transcript of the call from notes to deceptively appear as if it is an actual verbatim transcript. This is completely misleading and deceptive. In other words, this is a fake transcript.
This is how this “transcript” was made. Call notes were taken by staffers and someone turned the notes into a fake transcript and distributed the fake, reconstructed transcript around the White House for people to make edits to this fake transcript based upon their own recollections of what was said and not said. As we know from Alexander Vidman’s testimony, some of his proposed edits to the fake “transcript” were not accepted. The White House constructed the fake “transcript.”
So, it is absolutely ridiculous for Trump to read a fake, reconstructed transcript of his call in a fireside chat. Everyone please demand that the media stop calling this “Memo” a transcript and everyone should wonder why this “Memo” was deceptively made to look like an actual verbatim transcript.