As transcribed, the call summary denotes laughter, pleasantries, and compliments exchanged between President Trump and President Zelensky. The summary does not evince any threats, coercion, intimidation, or indication of conditionality. Democrats even acknowledged that the call summary reflected no quid pro quo.[1] The summary bears absolutely no resemblance to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff's self-described "parody" interpretation of the call, which the Chairman performed at a public hearing on September 26.[2]
The summary of the July 25 phone call begins by President Trump congratulating President Zelensky on a "great victory," a "terrific job," and a "fantastic achievement."[3] President Zelensky reciprocated by complimenting President Trump, saying:
Well, yes, to tell you the truth, we are trying to work hard because we wanted to drain the swamp here in our country. We brought in many, many new people. Not the old politicians, not the typical politicians, because we want to have a new format and a new type of government. You are a great teacher for us and in that.[4]
President Trump expressed his concern that European countries were not providing their fair share in terms of assistance to Ukraine[5]—a topic about which President Trump has been vocal.[6] President Zelensky responded that President Trump was "absolutely right" and that he had expressed concerns to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.[7] President Zelensky thanked President Trump for U.S. military support and said Ukraine was "almost ready to buy more Javelins from the United States for defense purposes."[8]
President Trump then transitioned to discuss the allegation that some Ukrainian officials sought to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Although Democrats have seized on the President's phrasing—"I would like you to do us a favor though"[9]—to accuse the President of pressuring President Zelensky to target his 2020 political rival for his political benefit,[10] they omit the remainder of his sentence. The full sentence shows that President Trump was not asking President Zelensky to investigate his political rival, but rather asking him to assist in "get[ting] to
- ↑ See, e.g., MSNBC Live with Craig Melvin (MSNBC television broadcast Sept. 25, 2019) (interview with Rep. Ro Khanna) (saying evidence of a quid pro quo on the call summary is "irrelevant").
- ↑ Whistleblower Disclosure, supra note 1.
- ↑ The White House, Memorandum of Telephone Conversation 1 (July 25, 2019).
- ↑ Id. at 2.
- ↑ Id.
- ↑ See infra section I.C.2.
- ↑ Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, supra note 15, at 2.
- ↑ Id.
- ↑ Id. at 3.
- ↑ See, e.g., Whistleblower Disclosure, supra note 1 (statement of Rep. Adam Schiff, Chairman).
the call memorandum was an "accurate and complete" reflection of the substance of the call. Deposition of Timothy Morrison, in Wash., D.C., at 60 (Oct. 31, 2019) [hereinafter "Morrison deposition"].
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