Pompeo: 'It wouldn't be appropriate' to release transcript of Trump conversation with Ukrainian president
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday that "it wouldn't be appropriate" to release a transcript of President Trump's call with his Ukrainian counterpart that is reportedly at the center of a whistleblower's complaint.
Pompeo said on ABC's "This Week" that the Trump administration publishes transcripts only in unique circumstances.
"Those are private conversations between world leaders, and it wouldn’t be appropriate to do so except in the most extreme circumstances," Pompeo said.
The secretary of State deferred to the White House when asked why the administration wouldn't provide the transcript if, as the president said, there was nothing wrong about the conversation.
The Washington Post reported last Wednesday that the complaint involved President Trump and a conversation with a foreign leader, later reported to be Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
During that call, Trump reportedly asked Zelensky to assist in an investigation into Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's son.
Trump has defended the conversation and accused the news media of turning a blind eye to the allegations against the former vice president.
Pompeo on Sunday added that he supported finding out if Biden participated in "corrupt" activities.
"I do think if Vice President Biden behaved inappropriately, if he was protecting his son and intervened with the Ukrainian leadership in a way that was corrupt, I do think we need to get to the bottom of that," he said.
