Former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenFormer Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick Bloomberg rolls out M ad buy to boost Biden in Florida MORE’s White House campaign hammered President Trump Donald John TrumpFederal prosecutor speaks out, says Barr 'has brought shame' on Justice Dept. Former Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick MORE over his remarks Thursday that Ukraine and China should open investigations into the 2020 candidate, saying the statements are evidence of an “ongoing abuse of power.”

“What Donald Trump just said on the South Lawn of the White House was this election's equivalent of his infamous 'Russia, if you're listening' moment from 2016 — a grotesque choice of lies over truth and self over the country,” Deputy Campaign Manager and Communications Director Kate Bedingfield said, referring to a comment Trump made in 2016 in which he appeared to invite Russia to hack former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonBloomberg rolls out M ad buy to boost Biden in Florida Hillicon Valley: Productivity, fatigue, cybersecurity emerge as top concerns amid pandemic | Facebook critics launch alternative oversight board | Google to temporarily bar election ads after polls close Trump pledges to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, designate KKK a terrorist group in pitch to Black voters MORE’s emails.

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The shot is the latest salvo of an ongoing controversy surrounding Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiDemocratic senator to party: 'A little message discipline wouldn't kill us' Overnight Health Care: New wave of COVID-19 cases builds in US | Florida to lift all coronavirus restrictions on restaurants, bars | Trump stirs questions with 0 drug coupon plan Overnight Defense: Appeals court revives House lawsuit against military funding for border wall | Dems push for limits on transferring military gear to police | Lawmakers ask for IG probe into Pentagon's use of COVID-19 funds MORE (D-Calif.) last week announced the House would conduct a formal impeachment investigation over a July call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in which he urged Kiev to open an investigation into Biden.

“I would think that if they were honest about it they’d start a major investigation into the Bidens,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday when asked what he wanted Zelensky to do about Biden.

“China should start an investigation into the Bidens,” Trump added before departing for an executive order signing in Florida.

Trump and conservative allies on Capitol Hill and in the media have claimed Biden abused his power as vice president when he lobbied Ukraine to dismiss a prosecutor who was investigating a natural gas company on whose board his son sat. Biden has said he wanted the prosecutor fired for insufficient efforts to tackle corruption, and no evidence has emerged to suggest he acted to benefit his son.

Biden panned Trump’s remarks, saying he is grasping for conspiracy theories out of fear of losing the 2020 election.

“Now, with his administration in free-fall, Donald Trump is flailing and melting down on national television, desperately clutching for conspiracy theories that have been debunked and dismissed by independent, credible news organizations,” Bedingfield said. “It could not be more transparent: Donald Trump is terrified that Joe Biden will beat him like a drum.”