It is in connection with a telephone conversation with the then Minister of Justice Jeffrey Rosen that Trump is said to have made the call.

Also present during the conversation, which took place on 27 December last year, was Deputy Minister of Justice Richard Donoghue, and it is his notes that have now been published by the House of Representatives' Supervisory Committee.

Donoghue writes how the president stated how "we have an obligation to tell the people that this was an illegal and corrupt election".

Justice Minister Jeffrey Rosen is said to have explained to the president that the ministry cannot "change the outcome of an election", something that the president does not expect either.

"Leave the rest to me"

At the same time, he urges his ministers to "just say that it was an election fraught with electoral fraud" and that they can "leave the rest to me and Republican members of Congress."

The politicians he is referring to are not clear from the notes, but a number of Republicans who questioned the election results were mentioned earlier during the conversation.

At least two of them deny having tried to influence the Department of Justice in any way, according to The New York Times.

The chair of the oversight committee, Democrat Carolyn Maloney, describes Trump's actions as an attempt to "overthrow a free and fair election" and that, among other things, Jeffrey Rosen is now being called to the committee for questioning.

No evidence of widespread cheating

Since the election in November last year, Donald Trump has described it as "rigged" and imbued with cheating.

Even after leaving the White House, he has repeated similar claims, which have not been substantiated.

There is no evidence of extensive and systematic fraud in connection with the election.

However, the lack of evidence has not prevented either him or large sections of the Republican electorate from continuing to question the election result.

A majority, 53 percent, stated in an opinion poll in May that they believe Donald Trump was the rightful election winner and that Joe Biden won because of illegal votes.