LONDON (REUTERS) - Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday (Nov 13) that a congressional impeachment inquiry into United States President Donald Trump would become an "absolute obsession" for people.

Speaking at an event in London with former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard, Mrs Clinton did not add any further comments on the impeachment inquiry hearings beyond the purely procedural, adding that she had a "unique perspective" from working as a lawyer on what she jokingly called "the good impeachment" case against Richard Nixon in 1974.

In the last US impeachment drama in 1998, Republicans, who then controlled the House, brought impeachment charges against Mrs Clinton's husband, Democratic president Bill Clinton, in a scandal involving his sexual relationship with a White House intern. The Senate ultimately voted to keep Mr Clinton in office.

Mrs Clinton told Ms Gillard and the audience that she was "devastated" not to have won the last US presidential election, adding that Russia's intervention in the vote was "not at all deniable".

US intelligence agencies say Russia sought to influence the 2016 presidential election through hacking and spreading propaganda, aimed at helping Mr Trump defeat Mrs Clinton.

Moscow has repeatedly denied any meddling and says the West is gripped by anti-Russian hysteria.