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President Donald Trump asked Prime Minister Scott Morrison to help with a probe into the 2016 presidential election.Credit:Bloomberg

The Australian ambassador to the United States,Joe Hockey,also rebuffed Senator Graham's account of Mr Downer's part in the US investigation into Russian interference.

Senator Graham,the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a vocal supporter of the President,wrote on Wednesday to Mr Morrison as well as Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson asking them to help the inquiry.

In a key assertion,Senator Graham said the matters under review included US decisions to accept information from an"Australian diplomat"who was"directed"to contact George Papadopoulos,an aide to Mr Trump during part of the presidential election campaign.

Mr Downer,Australia's former high commissioner to the United Kingdom who met with Mr Papadopoulos,toldThe Age andThe Sydney Morning Herald this was wrong.

"Of course I wasn't'directed',"he said.

Mr Papadopoulos told Mr Downer in a London bar in 2016 the Russians were willing to release dirt on Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton ahead of the November election.

Downer reported that meeting to Australian intelligence services,who later shared it with the FBI.

Mr Hockey offered Australian help for the new Department of Justice probe in May and reiterated that support in a letter to Senator Graham this week,but he took issue with the way Mr Downer's role was being described.

"I note that we have been public about our willingness to cooperate,"Mr Hockey wrote to Senator Graham.

"In your letter you made mention of the role of an Australian diplomat. We reject your characterisation of his role."

Mr Hockey said the Australian government would work closely with the US to"resolve any misunderstandings"in the matter.

The letter from Senator Graham came afterThe New York TimesrevealedTrump urged Morrison to assist an investigation regarded as an attempt to clear the President of any wrongdoing. The Republican senator called on Morrison to keep backing the probe despite protests fromLabor andUnited States Democrats.

"I write to request your country's continued cooperation with Attorney General[William] Barr as the Department of Justice continues to investigate the origins and extent of foreign influence in the 2016 U.S. presidential election,"he wrote.

There are currently three such inquiries being conducted by the US Department of Justice and the agency's watchdog,the Office of the Inspector General,includingone by Barr-appointee John Durham criticised for being designed to discredit Robert Mueller's inquiry,which concluded there was"sweeping and systemic"interference by the Russian government in the 2016 presidential campaign.

The divisive Durham probe will investigate the origins of Mueller's investigation,which began as an FBI inquiry,as well as determining whether any conduct throughout that investigation was unlawful.

The Morrison government confirmed it was"ready to assist and co-operate"with the Durham investigation and hasnot ruled out giving secret government documents to US investigators,saying Australia had"nothing to hide"in the process.

The Prime Minister said it would be"very unusual",however,for the government to release diplomatic cables to the US investigation.

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