Donald Trump denies he abused powers of office, calls Democratic impeachment inquiry a ‘joke’
- US president denies he did anything wrong, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says his actions amount to a betrayal of oath of office and of national security
A downbeat Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed as a “joke” the grounds laid out for the impeachment inquiry into him, as Democrats stood firm in accusing the US president of a “mafia-style shakedown” of his Ukrainian counterpart.
Trump denied claims he abused his office by repeatedly urging President Volodymyr Zelensky to probe his rival Joe Biden – as confirmed in a call transcript released by the White House.
“They are getting hit hard on this witch hunt because when they look at the information, it’s a joke,” said the president, who struck an uncharacteristically subdued tone at his first news conference since Democrats launched an official impeachment inquiry.
“Impeachment for that? When you have a wonderful meeting or you have a wonderful phone conversation?”
A more defiant Trump had earlier insisted he exerted “no pressure” on Kiev – 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.