Senator Susan Collins (R., Maine) said Monday that John Bolton’s confirmation that President Trump tied the provision of military aid to Ukraine to the opening of politically beneficial investigations “strengthens the case for witnesses” in the ongoing impeachment trial.Collins — a key target of Democrats’ efforts to get Republicans to call witnesses — added that the leak from Bolton's upcoming book has “prompted a number of conversations among my colleagues" about how the impeachment trial should proceed.> My statement on Bolton developments. pic.twitter.com/3M59J7suts> > -- Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) January 27, 2020Collins’s statement comes after Senator Mitt Romney said earlier Monday that it was “increasingly likely” that Republicans would vote to hear testimony from Bolton.“I think it’s increasingly likely that other Republicans will join those of us who think we should hear from John Bolton,” Romney told reporters. “I have spoken with others who have opined upon this.”According to a manuscript of Bolton's impending book obtained by the New York Times, the former national security adviser directly witnessed Trump saying in August that some $400 million in congressionally appropriated military aid would only be provided if Ukrainian officials announced investigations into Trump's political opponents.In the buildup to the trial, Collins was on the forefront of Republican efforts to allow for the calling of witnesses, after Trump and other allies suggested that Republicans should immediately vote to acquit.“We should be completely open to calling witnesses,” Collins said on January 10. “I am hopeful that we can reach an agreement on how to proceed with the trial that will allow the opportunity for both the House and the president’s counsel if they choose to do so.”Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been particularly privy to Collins’s requests, in an effort to keep the Republican 53-47 majority unified. The Kentucky Republican submitted a last-minute change to the rules of the trial last week, after Collins expressed disproval at the proposed length of opening arguments.Senate Republican aides had said last week — prior to the Bolton news — that it was increasingly unlikely that more than three Republicans would vote for witnesses.

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump’s campaign plans to flood Iowa with Cabinet secretaries, lawmakers and senior White House officials for the state’s first-in-the-nation caucuses next week, in a show of strength designed to kick off his re-election bid.The president has no serious challenge in the Iowa Republican contest, with one-term Illinois congressman Joe Walsh and former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld the only other Republicans seeking the party’s nomination. Still, his campaign has sought to capitalize on the attention being paid to the Democratic nominating contest, and the president himself will travel to Des Moines on Thursday for a political rally.Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos are among those expected to appear on the president’s behalf, rallying support from Republican caucus-goers. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, and Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie are also among the dozens of surrogates expected to attend.“Our Caucus Day operation is just a preview of what is to come,” Brad Parscale, Trump’s campaign manager, said in a statement. “We are putting the Democrats on notice -- good luck trying to keep up with this formidable re-election machine.”Other surrogates expected to appear in Iowa include My Pillow Inc. chief executive Mike Lindell and Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, who was disappointed to have been left off Trump’s impeachment defense team.(Disclaimer: Michael Bloomberg is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. He is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.)This post is part of Campaign Update, our live coverage from the 2020 campaign trail.To contact the author of this story: Justin Sink in Washington at jsink1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, Magan SherzaiFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

In an apparent attempt to seek calm in light of the leaks from former National Security Adviser John Bolton's forthcoming book, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wy.) may have actually revealed a flaw in President Trump's defense.Barrasso on Monday said during a press conference on impeachment that there's "nothing new" in Bolton's revelations about Trump's alleged Ukraine quid pro quo, and that it seems "to be an effort to sell books," echoing comments from his colleague Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) from earlier in the day. But it was subsequently pointed out that admitting there's "nothing new" in Bolton's book is not the best look for a Republican, since it would seemingly reveal that GOP lawmakers have always known what occurred between the Trump administration and Ukraine.If that is indeed the case, they'll have to either continue feigning ignorance or just come out and say they don't have a problem with Trump's actions. > I mean he's right, the senate already knows that Trump did this and why, and it's just a matter of whether they'll pretend to not know, decide it's actually good, or... https://t.co/ORBkGYOYdn> > -- Tim Murphy (@timothypmurphy) January 27, 2020More stories from theweek.com Mike Pompeo is a disgrace MSNBC's Ari Melber: 'We just watched Ken Starr punch himself in the face' All the president's turncoats

The twin brother of a key administration impeachment witness against President Trump is in charge of the National Security Council's process for reviewing publications by current and former NSC officials, according to a new report on Monday.

Breitbart reported that Army Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman, a senior ethics lawyer for ...

John Bolton has proved he's President Donald Trump's worst nightmare as Trump battles a snowballing Senate impeachment trial.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer on Monday said new revelations from former National Security Advisor John R. Bolton had blown apart GOP resistance to calling witnesses at the impeachment trial of President Trump.

“If there was ever a shred of logic left to not hear witnesses and review ...