This archive report was first published on 26 September 2019.
US President Donald Trump has dismissed the Democratic impeachment inquiry as a 'joke' while denying claims he abused his office by pressuring Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky to probe his rival Joe Biden.
Trump made the comments during his first news conference since Democrats launched an official impeachment inquiry, striking an uncharacteristically subdued tone.
"They are getting hit hard on this witch hunt because when they look at the information, it's a joke," Trump said.
Trump denied claims he exerted 'pressure' on Zelensky, a claim echoed by Zelensky, who appeared side-by-side with the US leader at a long-planned meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
However, the publication of a call transcript between Trump and Zelensky sent new shockwaves through Washington, including within the ranks of Trump's Republican Party, with Senator Mitt Romney calling it "deeply troubling."
Democrats held the transcript up as a smoking gun, with senior lawmaker Adam Schiff charging that Trump's actions were "how a mafia boss talks."
"This is how a mafia boss talks," Schiff said. "'What have you done for us? We've done so much for you but there's not much reciprocity. I have a favour to ask you.'"
"And what is that favour? Of course, the favour is to investigate his political rival, to investigate the Bidens," Schiff added.
