Trump to consider releasing transcript of phone call with Zelensky

U.S. President Donald Trump will consider releasing a transcript of his call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which is said to be the subject of an intelligence community whistleblower complaint, according to The Hill.

"We'll make a determination about how to release it, releasing it, saying what we said," Trump told reporters in Houston on Sunday, September 22, defending his conversation with Zelensky as "perfect."

His remarks came hours after the president suggested that he had discussed Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden during the call.

"The problem is, when you're speaking to foreign leaders, you don't want foreign leaders to feel that they shouldn't be speaking openly. And the same thing with an American president. You want them to be able to express themselves without knowing that every single word was going to be going out and going out all over the world," Trump added.

A scandal erupted in the United States when a whistleblowing intelligence officer who processed a July phone call between Trump and a "foreign leader," who may be Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, filed a complaint to his leadership. He was worried by some of Trump's remarks that, according to U.S. media outlets, could be interpreted as pressure on the Ukrainian side to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, who is on the board of a Ukrainian gas company.

On September 20, The Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with the situation, reported that Trump had urged Zelensky about eight times to work with his lawyer Rudy Giuliani on an investigation into Biden's son, but had not offered anything in return.

Before the WSJ's article was published, Trump repeatedly denied talking about "something inappropriate" with the foreign leader. In addition, he told reporters at the White House that he had not discussed with Zelensky any issues regarding Biden.

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