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US Congressmen saw for the first time a whistle-blower complaint against Donald Trump that led to calls for his removal.
One Democrat has described it as "disturbing", while one Republican has called it "disturbing".
The complaint refers to a controversial phone call between Trump and the Ukrainian president, according to US media reports.
The latest developments come as the acting director of the US intelligence services has to testify on the matter.
The story of Joseph Maguire's complaint by an unnamed intelligence officer will be closely examined when he appears before members of the House's intelligence committee next Thursday.
The content of the complaint remains confidential, but the US Senate's highest-ranking Democrat, Chuck Schumer, has called for his immediate release.
At a Wednesday evening press conference, President Trump again called the indictment procedure to be described as "hoax" and "witch hunt".
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According to notes from the July 25 phone call, President Trump asked his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, to consider allegations of corruption involving the son of Joe Biden, possible rival of Mr. Trump during of the presidential election next year. There is no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the Bidens.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Biden accused President Trump of an "abuse of power".
What is the last?
The complaint against the president was delivered personally to members of Congress on Wednesday.
This would concern not only Mr Trump's appeal with President Zelensky, but also the way in which the recordings of the conversation were handled by White House staff, the New York Times reported.
"I found the charges deeply disturbing, and I found them very credible," said Adam Schiff, Democratic Chair of the House's Intelligence Committee.
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"I think what this brave man has done has revealed serious wrongdoing," he said referring to the whistleblower. "We will do everything we can to protect you."
Lawmakers said they hoped to hear from the whistleblower at some point, but no meeting was scheduled.
Mike Quigley, a member of the Democratic Committee, called the complaint "deeply troubling," while Senator Ben Sasse, a Republican member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said there were "real problems in this country." ".
"Republicans must not just go around trolleys [to protect Mr Trump]," he said.
However, Mike Conaway, a Republican member of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, said he did not think the complaint would compromise Mr. Trump, adding, "I have not seen anything that bothers me." .
Mr. Schumer, requesting that the content of the complaint be made public, said: "The public has the right to read the whistleblower's complaint for himself".
What about the indictment investigation?
Democrats accuse Mr. Trump of seeking foreign aid to smear Joe Biden and use the help as a potential bargaining tool.
Under the US Constitution, a president can be charged with "treason, bribery or other serious crimes and misdemeanors", which may result in the dismissal of his office.
In July, Mr Trump froze military aid to Ukraine, but insisted that this aid was not used to put pressure on the new Kiev government.
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A vote in the House to remove the President could trigger a trial in the Senate over Mr. Trump's removal.
The Congressional investigation partly addresses whether Mr. Trump abused his presidential powers and sought to help him re-elect himself seeking the assistance of a government. stranger to undermine Mr. Biden.
House Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi said such actions would be a "betrayal of her oath" and said "no one is above the law".
But on Wednesday, Trump denied pressuring Mr. Zelensky.
"I did not do it, I did not threaten anyone," he said. "No pressure, no pressure, nothing, it's a hoax, people, it's a big hoax."
What did Trump say about Biden during the call?
Trump talks with Zelensky, his new MP, about the 2016 dismissal of the prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, according to notes from their phone conversation published by the White House.
In half an hour, the US president reportedly said: "I heard that you had a prosecutor who was very good and that he was shut down, which is really unfair.
"A lot of people are talking about this, the way they shut down your very good prosecutor and very bad people."
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Joe Biden hopes to be Democratic presidential candidate in next year's elections
He continues: "The other thing, we talk a lot about Biden's son, that Biden stopped the pursuit [of Mr Biden’s son] and a lot of people want to know about it so all you can do with the [US] The Attorney General would be great.
According to ABC News, an adviser to Mr. Zelensky asserted that the debate over the Biden case was a prerequisite for any phone call between the two leaders.
On this appeal, the US President also asked Mr. Zelensky to work with US Attorney General William Barr, and Mr. Trump's personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani, to review the case. Case, according to the notes.
The Justice Ministry said Wednesday that Mr Trump had not discussed with the Attorney General the possibility that Ukraine is investigating Mr Biden, and that Mr Barr had not communicated with Ukraine.
What is the complaint against Joe Biden?
Trump and his conservative allies focused on how Mr. Biden, as US Vice President in 2016, lobbied Ukraine to fire Mr. Shokin.
Mr. Shokin's office had opened an investigation into Burisma, a natural gas company in which Mr. Biden's son, Hunter Biden, was a member of the board of directors.
Other Western officials have called for Mr. Shokin to be fired because of the perception that he was soft on corruption.
Last year, Mr. Biden had explained at a foreign policy event how he had threatened to suspend the $ 1 billion aid to Ukraine unless Mr Shokin was removed. of his functions.
How did the controversy unfold?
- July 18 – US President Trump orders White House aide to maintain nearly $ 400 million in military aid to Ukraine, US media reports
- July 25 – President Trump talks with the Ukrainian leader during a 30-minute phone call
- September 9 – Congress takes notice of a whistleblower 's complaint regarding this call, but the Trump administration prevents it from posting it.
- September 11 – Pentagon and US Department of State authorize release of military aid to Ukraine
- September 23 – Trump confirms that he suspended Ukrainian aid, claiming that this was due to concerns of "corruption"
- September 24 – Trump says help has been blocked so other countries pay more
What is the history of Trump-Ukraine?
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