Trump supporters standing by their president, predict impeachment will ‘backfire on the Democrats’

Trump is accused of withholding aid to Ukraine as leverage to extract an investigation led by that country into Democrats including 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden and his family. He denies it, but former national security adviser John Bolton reportedly has alleged, in his forthcoming book, that the president indeed linked the aid and the investigations. As of Friday, it does not appear Democrats have the votes to summon Bolton or other witnesses before the Senate, meaning the trial could be over in a matter of days.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer alleged Friday that Republicans were on the verge of participating in the “greatest cover-up since Watergate.”

Trump was joined at his Thursday night rally by Vice President Pence — as more than 80 members of the administration, Republican lawmakers and officials and top members of his reelection team fanned out across Iowa in support of the president. The full-court press was a move by Trump’s team to energize Republican voter turnout at the caucuses as well as grab a share of the national media’s spotlight with just four days to go until the caucuses kick off the presidential nominating calendar, with attention mostly on the Democratic race.