Pompeo did not say whether he thought the contents of the July 25 call were inappropriate or whether he believed they warranted the complaint of an intelligence community whistleblower at the centre of the impeachment probe.

Federal law states it is illegal to ``knowingly solicit, accept, or receive from a foreign national any contribution or donation.''

“They’re going to lose the election, and they figure this is a thing to do,” Trump told reporters. Speaking of Pelosi, he added, “If she does that, they all say that’s a positive for me, for the election. You could also say, ‘Who needs it? It’s bad for the country.’”