Maguire arrives to testify on whistleblower complaint

A whistleblower report released by a congressional panel on Thursday said President Donald Trump used his office to solicit Ukraine's interference in the 2020 election to advance his personal political interests, risking U.S. national security.

The Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee released a declassifed version of the report made by the whistleblower, which triggered weeks of controversy and prompted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to launch a formal impeachment inquiry into the Republican president.

"I am deeply concerned that the actions described below constitute 'a serious or flagrant problem, abuse, or violation of law or executive order' that 'does not include differences of opinion concerning public policy matters,' consistent with the definition of an 'urgent concern'," the report said.

Trump pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden, in coordination with U.S. Attorney General William Barr and Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, according to a summary of a July telephone call released by the Trump administration on Wednesday.

Moments after the whistleblower report was made public, the committee began a hearing at which acting Director of National Intelligence, Joseph Maguire, was set to testify about the document after refusing for weeks to share the report with Congress.

Saying that more than six White House officials had made contact about Trump's communication with Ukraine, the report cited concerns that efforts to put pressure on Ukraine "pose risks to U.S. national security," undermining efforts "to deter and counter foreign interference in U.S. elections."

Trump has denied wrongdoing and accused Democrats of trying to destroy him politically.