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.
The next explosive episode in the rapidly unfolding impeachment drama is set for Thursday, when acting director of national intelligence Joseph McGuire testifies on Capitol Hill.
"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.
But the publication of the transcript sent new shockwaves through Washington, including within the ranks of Trump's Republican Party, with Senator Mitt Romney calling it "deeply troubling." Two competing narratives immediately took hold.
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Trump and his allies claimed the July 25 call contained no evidence of a quid pro quo pressuring Zelensky to probe the president's top Democratic rival for the White House.
Democrats meanwhile held it up as a smoking gun.
"This is how a mafia boss talks," charged senior lawmaker Adam Schiff.
"'What have you done for us? We've done so much for you but there's not much reciprocity. I have a favor to ask you.'" "And what is that favour? Of course, the favor is to investigate his political rival, to investigate the Bidens."
"Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look into it... It sounds horrible to me."
Faced with the possibility of becoming the third US president in history to be impeached, Trump has pushed back hard -- branding the probe the "single greatest witch hunt in American history... a disgraceful thing."
Top Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer told reporters after reading the whistleblower complaint that "it's very troubling" -- an assessment echoed by Republican Senator Ben Sasse, who said that "there's obviously lots that's very troubling there."