Donald Trump's disastrous week continues to rumble on, as the US president attempts to change a narrative that is swiftly spiralling out of his control and once again leading opponents to call for thorough investigations.

On Tuesday, two former associates of Mr Trump were convicted of a number of charges, with the president's former lawyer admitting to a pair of campaign finance violations during the presidential election.

Michael Cohen, Mr Trump's so-called legal "fixer" implicated the president when he told the court his client had directed him to make payments to two women for the "purpose of influencing the election".

Cohen admitted paying the hush money to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, two women who have alleged they had extramarital affairs with Mr Trump.

The developments have once again raised the spectre of impeachment, with one Democratic congressman warning the "countdown" is underway. The threat to Mr Trump's presidency was raised once again on Friday, when Representative Eric Swalwell, a Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said that the committee's now-closed Russia investigation should be reopened in the light of the disclosures from Cohen.

Omarosa Manigault Newman, a former White House aide, has added fuel to the fire, saying she is "fully willing and ready" to testify in impeachment proceedings against the president.

Paul Manafort, Mr Trump's one-time campaign manager, was also found guilty on Tuesday over numerous charges of financial and tax fraud, the same day Cohen admitted his guilt.

The convictions stemmed from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into alleged ties between Russia and the Trump campaign, as well as the Kremlin's interference in the 2016 election.

On Thursday, it was revealed the White House opposed a bill which would significantly bolster America's defences against future election hacking.