Australian PM Scott Morrison agreed to help Donald Trump with investigation into Russia probe origins

Donald Trump urged the Australian prime minister to help with a US investigation which may have brought political benefits to the president.

The US president used a phone call to urge Scott Morrison, the Australian leader, to help William Barr, the US attorney general, on an investigation he was running, the New York Times reported.

The investigation was looking into the origins of the Russian election meddling probe, which long hung over the Trump presidency.

Mr Trump has argued the investigation, which looked at links between the Trump campaign and Russia, was launched inappropriately by the Barack Obama administration before the 2016 election.

The Australian government on Tuesday said Mr Morrison had agreed to help.

"The Australian government has always been ready to assist and cooperate with efforts that help shed further light on the matters under investigation," Mr Morrison's office said in a statement.

"The PM confirmed this readiness once again in conversation with the president," the statement said. It did not say when the call took place.

It is the second time Mr Trump has privately urged a world leader to act over an investigation which was likely to politically benefit himself.

A Justice Department spokeswoman said on Monday Mr Trump had contacted other countries to introduce Mr Barr and a Justice Department official who is conducting the inquiry into the Russia probe.

John Durham, the US attorney in Connecticut, is reviewing American intelligence agencies' examination of Russian interference in the 2016 election, which led to the Mueller probe denounced by Trump as a partisan witch hunt.

"Mr. Durham is gathering information from numerous sources, including a number of foreign countries," Ms Kupec said. "At Attorney General Barr’s request, the president has contacted other countries to ask them to introduce the Attorney General and Mr. Durham to appropriate officials."

Spokeswoman Kerri Kupec did not name the countries in her statement.

But the Washington Post, which cited unnamed people familiar with the matter for its report, said Mr Barr had made overtures to British intelligence officials, and last week travelled to Italy, where he and Mr Durham met senior Italian government officials and Mr Barr asked them to help Durham.

Separately, Mr Trump has suggested the Democrat leading the impeachment inquiry should be arrested for treason as he demanded a meeting with the anonymous whistle-blower whose complaint helped uncover the Ukrainian scandal.

Twice in the last 24 hours the US president has said that Adam Schiff, the congressman who as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee is driving forward the probe, may have committed treason as he lashed out at political opponents and the media.

During a blizzard of tweets dismissing the threat of impeachment, Mr Trump tweeted: “I want Schiff questioned at the highest level for Fraud & Treason..... In addition, I want to meet not only my accuser, who presented SECOND & THIRD HAND INFORMATION but also the person who illegally gave this information, which was largely incorrect, to the “Whistleblower.” Was this person SPYING on the U.S. President? Big Consequences!"

In another tweet about Mr Schiff, he wrote: “Arrest for Treason?” Mr Trump was also criticised for quoting a pastor who warned there would be a “civil war-like split” in America if impeachment happened. One Republican congressman called the comment "beyond repugnant”.

The Democrats are pushing ahead with the impeachment inquiry they launched last week, with key State Department and intelligence figures expected to be interviewed by the House Intelligence Committee within days and more subpoenas on their way.

A vote on impeachment is expected before Christmas.  Lawyers for the whistle-blower, whose complaint about Mr Trump’s attempts to get the Ukrainian president to investigate Democrat presidential hopeful Joe Biden triggered the impeachment proceedings, have expressed fears over the individual’s safety.

Andrew Bakaj, lead attorney for the whistle-blower, wrote in a letter to Joseph Maguire, acting director of national intelligence, that he has “serious concerns” for his client’s “safety”.

He also claimed that a $50,000 “bounty” for any information about the whistle-blower’s identity had been issued.

The New York Times reported that the whistle-blower is a male CIA officer who was once detailed to work at the White House, though that has not been independently verified by this newspaper.

For now the identity of the whistle-blower remains unknown to the public, despite Mr Trump’s call to know who exactly made the complaint against him.

Meanwhile senior campaign advisers to Mr Biden, the former US vice president among the favourites to win the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential nomination, have written to cable TV networks warning them over coverage of the scandal.

They urged the TV executives not to interview Rudy Giuliani, Mr Trump’s personal lawyer who is pushing the allegations against Mr Biden, writing that he was spreading “false, debunked conspiracy theories” on air.

Mr Giuliani has accused Mr Biden of calling for the sacking of a Ukrainian prosecutor to benefit his son Hunter Biden, who was working for a Ukrainian gas company at the time. Both Bidens have always denied any wrongdoing.

On Monday Mr Giuliani was issued with a subpoena by Democrats in the House of Representatives who are leading the impeachment inquiry.

Mr Giuliani was ordered to hand over communications and other relevant documents by October 15.