"When I heard these horrible stories come out, I had no choice but to release a conversation, which I hate to do and I hope I never have to do again with the leader of a country," Trump said during remarks in the Oval Office.
Last week, US House Democrats launched an impeachment inquiry based on a whistleblower's complaint that alleges presidential misconduct in Trump’s telephone conversation with Zelensky.
The complaint said Trump asked Zelensky to investigate possible corruption in Ukraine by his likely opponent in the 2020 US presidential election, Joe Biden, and his son Hunter Biden. Democrats allege the conversation violated US election laws.
Trump denied any wrongdoing and emphasized that the whistleblower's complaint is inaccurate and accused the individual of being a spy.
The US president also called the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry another political witch hunt designed to reverse the outcome of the 2016 US presidential election.
