Bill Clinton, the last president to get impeached, told Trump that his best bet is to ignore it and get on with his job

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President Donald Trump greets former President Bill Clinton at the Inaugural Luncheon in the US Capitol January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. President Donald Trump is attending the luncheon along with other dignitaries after being sworn in as the 45th President of the United States.

• Former president Bill Clinton was asked in an interview with CNN Thursday if he had any advice for the current president, Donald Trump, as he faces an impeachment inquiry.
• "My message would be, look, you got hired to do a job," Clinton said during a phone interview with CNN's Jake Tapper "You don't get the days back you blow off. Every day is an opportunity to make something good happen."
• Clinton was the last president to face impeachment following an affair with intern Monica Lewinsky. He was acquitted of charges of perjury and obstruction following a five week Senate trial in 1999. 
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Former President Bill Clinton, who was the last president to face impeachment, has some advice for the current president, Donald Trump, as he faces his own impeachment battle: get on with your day job. 

"My message would be, look, you got hired to do a job," Clinton said during a phone interview with CNN's Jake Tapper aired Thursday. "You don't get the days back you blow off. Every day is an opportunity to make something good happen"

"And I would say, 'I've got lawyers and staff people handling this impeachment inquiry, and they should just have at it,'" he continued.

"Meanwhile, I'm going to work for the American people. That's what I would do."

Clinton is in a unique position to offer insights to the incumbent, having been the only the second president in US history to face impeachment.

Back in 1999, Clinton was acquitted after a five week Senate trial, having been impeached on charges of perjury and obstruction relating to his affair with 21-year-old intern Monica Lewinsky. 

On Wednesday, the first House impeachment hearings since Clinton's opened in the Capitol, when two senior State Department officials testified about Trump's attempts to pressure Ukraine to probe domestic political rival Joe Biden.

Democrats allege that Trump abused his power in seeking the probe, and used witheld military aid as leverage. 

Trump won the presidency after a brusing contest with Clinton's wife, Hillary, the former first lady and secretary of state.

So far he does not appear to be taking the route advocated by Bill Clinton, refusing to work with congressional Democrats while the impeachment probe is being conducted, and launching relentless social media attacks on impeachment probe witnesses and Democrats. 

Clinton phoned in to CNN to discuss Thursday's high school shooting in Santa Clarita, California. He criticised Attorney General William Barr's claim that the impeachment probe was stalling attempts to pass bipartisan legislation on areas such as gun control. 

"Well, my answer is, look at how much we got done in 1998 to 1999. And even in 1997. We had very productive actions in all three years," Clinton said, and pointed to government shutdowns in 1995 and 1996 after Republican congressional gains as the only real points where legislative pushes stalled.