Those officials believe public disclosure of what was said on the call would quell accusations that Trump broke the law or acted improperly by pressing Zelensky to investigate Trump rival Joe Biden’s son. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump urged Zelensky “about eight times” to help Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani probe the business dealings of Hunter Biden.

The officials think release of the transcript would show definitively that Trump did nothing illegal. The president’s adversaries, determined to use the issue to demand his impeachment, might still argue that he acted inappropriately, but release of the president’s precise words, the officials believe, would make it more difficult for critics to claim that Trump did something wrong.

The officials also believe the public should know the circumstances of the whistleblower complaint. The complaint is hearsay; the author did not have direct knowledge of the substance of the complaint but rather heard it from someone else. Being hearsay does not totally invalidate a complaint, but some officials believe it weakens the alleged whistleblower’s case.

The bottom line is that the officials believe public release of the transcript would be in President Trump’s best interest.