Trump calls for Senate trial if House of Representatives impeach him

US President Donald Trump on Friday said he wanted a trial by the Senate if the House of Representatives went ahead and impeached him. The democratic-controlled House of Representatives are conducting public hearings on the impeachment proceedings against President Trump for allegedly abusing his office for political gain in the run up to the 2020 presidential election.

The impeachment hearings are an effort by Democrats to establish whether Trump withheld US military aid to Ukraine to pressure the country's President Volodymyr Zelensky into announcing a corruption inquiry into Joe Biden, Trump's leading Democratic rival in the poll. The Democrats are alleging that Trump's call with his Ukrainian counterpart was irregular and inappropriate and abuse of his office for political gain.

"I want a trial," Trump told Fox News in a telephonic interview. Trump said that his telephonic conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart, which has become basis to initiate the impeachment proceedings against him, was a perfect conversation.

Trump said that he has done nothing wrong and slammed Congressman Adam Schiff, Chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence. "Adam Schiff is a sick puppy. Now, what you're going to see, I predict, it will be perhaps the biggest scandal in the history of our country, a political scandal,” he said during the interview.

Trump said he has helped Ukraine much more than his predecessor Barack Obama. “Even look at what I've done for Ukraine by giving them tank busters, by giving them stuff, and Obama would send pillows and sheets, he wouldn't send anything else. The whole thing -- now, Schiff, remember this, he makes it all up. He's sick. There's something wrong with him,” he said.

Trump alleged that Schiff made up his phone call. “He made it up. He made up a phone call and then when I released it everybody was embarrassed. And crazy Nancy Pelosi, who, by the way, is going to go down as the worst speaker in the history of the House of Representatives, hasn't done anything. She cannot do anything,” he said.

Trump also refuted the accusation that he is using aid, taxpayer dollars, to attack Biden.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)