Is the Transcript real?

With Impeachment proceedings on the horizon for Trump, freedom of information is under fire. The White House recently released a transcript of the President's phone calls with the Ukranian President after whistleblower allegations came to light. The newest issue in this conflict, however, is questioning the authenticity of these documents. The President has repeatedly stated to the press that the transcripts released are verbatim records of his phonecall. Contrary to his word though, a quick scan of the document reveals a disclaimer at the bottom clearly stating that these documents are not verbatim but rather they merely outline the conversation. Word per minute analysis shows that these documents may only contain half of what was actually said in the thirty-minute conversation. This leaves no public record of what was actually said in the conversation begging the question of whether such a record actually exists.

Without the full transcript, it is hard to distinguish any wrongdoing on the part of any of the parties involved. But it also brings to light the question of what the public has the right to see and know, and what the president has the right to hide. Whether President Trump deliberately neglected to release the full transcript has yet to be established the incomplete nature of the copy released will not bode well for him in the proceedings. For more information check out this video.