Biden Demands Trump Release Transcript of Call in Ukraine Scandal

By Staff, Agencies

Joe Biden demanded Friday that US President Donald Trump release the transcript of a call in which the US president purportedly pressured his Ukrainian counterpart for political dirt.

Biden, a Democratic presidential hopeful and a possible Trump challenger in 2020, branded Trump's alleged conduct "clear-cut corruption."

Trump "should immediately release the transcript of the call in question, so that the American people can judge for themselves," Biden said, adding the president should also instruct the director of national intelligence to "stop stonewalling" and release to Congress the secret complaint about the call filed by a whistleblower.

Trump spoke by phone with Ukraine's new President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 25, where the US leader reportedly sought to coerce his counterpart into launching a probe into Biden's son Hunter to unearth information that could damage Biden's presidential bid.

"Such clear-cut corruption damages and diminishes our institutions of government by making them tools of a personal political vendetta," Biden said in a statement.