Donald Trump's conduct with Ukraine was far worse than the behavior that led to Richard Nixon's downfall, the head of the congressional impeachment probe said Thursday as he summed up the case for the US president's removal.
Lawmakers investigating whether Trump abused his office by bullying Ukraine into assisting his reelection efforts have spent three days hearing the most explosive witness testimony since the scandal broke.
Democrats accuse Trump of demanding Ukraine's assistance in a July 25 phone call and via a circle of accomplices, mainly senior figures in his administration.
He stalled almost $400 million in military aid and a White House visit for new Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, allegedly to coerce Kiev -- which is at war with Russia -- into helping.
The plot would have worked, say Democrats, if not for a whistleblower whose complaint about the July call reached Congress on September 9, ensuring the aid was handed over two days later.
"What we've seen here is far more serious than a third-rate burglary of the Democratic headquarters," said House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff, referring to the infamous 1972 Watergate break-in that Nixon ordered, eventually leading to his resignation.