Throwback Article: Document Shows White House Changed Incriminating Words on Trump-Zelensky “Transcript”
In light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, here is an article written by Memorandum Daily back in 2019. It is re-published in its entirety below:
In notes taken contemporaneously by Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, the President of Ukraine specifically mentioned the energy company Burisma in response to President Trump’s insistence that an investigation take place.
This line, as well as the previous sentence in the phone call, was edited out of the memorandum that the White House released to the public over a month ago. Mr. Trump has repeatedly insisted that the memorandum was a “word for word” transcript. We now know that to be a lie.
In Lt. Col. Vindman’s deposition, he told Congress that he had taken notes of the conversation between the two Presidents in July. Vindman explains that the White House edited the memorandum to remove specific mentions of Burisma.
“It’s not just the recollection,” the Lieutenant Colonel told the House, “I took notes from the call... They’re in my highly classified notebook.”
When asked to read what his notes said, Vindman stated that the President said, “There are recordings of Biden” discussing a prosecutor. This entire comment was instead changed to an ellipsis by the White House.
In response, President Zelensky said, his prosecutor would “look into the situation specifically to Burisma that you mentioned.” The White House changed Zelensky’s words from “Burisma” to “the company.”
Here is a screenshot of the specific exchange in the transcript the House released today:
This line, as well as the previous sentence in the phone call, was edited out of the memorandum that the White House released to the public over a month ago. Mr. Trump has repeatedly insisted that the memorandum was a “word for word” transcript. We now know that to be a lie.
In Lt. Col. Vindman’s deposition, he told Congress that he had taken notes of the conversation between the two Presidents in July. Vindman explains that the White House edited the memorandum to remove specific mentions of Burisma.
“It’s not just the recollection,” the Lieutenant Colonel told the House, “I took notes from the call... They’re in my highly classified notebook.”
When asked to read what his notes said, Vindman stated that the President said, “There are recordings of Biden” discussing a prosecutor. This entire comment was instead changed to an ellipsis by the White House.
In response, President Zelensky said, his prosecutor would “look into the situation specifically to Burisma that you mentioned.” The White House changed Zelensky’s words from “Burisma” to “the company.”
Here is a screenshot of the specific exchange in the transcript the House released today:
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