Democrats have argued the actions are signs of Trump feeling emboldened after being acquitted by the Senate.

Collins told CBS News last week that she believed Trump had learned from the impeachment fight.



"The president has been impeached. That's a pretty big lesson. I'm voting to acquit because I do not believe that the behavior alleged reaches the high bar in the constitution for overturning an election, and removing a duly elected president," Collins said.



Pressed on why she thought Trump had learned something, Collins added, "He was impeached. And there has been criticism by both Republican and Democratic senators of his call. I believe that he will be much more cautious in the future."

Collins later walked that back, telling Fox News on Wednesday after the impeachment votes that her hope that Trump had learned a lesson was "more aspirational on my part."



"It’s more that I hope that he’s listened to the many voices in the Senate who have pointed out that the call was very problematic," she said.

Annie Clark, a spokeswoman for Collins, reiterated in a string of tweets on Wednesday that Collins's votes were not based on whether Trump learned a lesson.

"As she explained in her statement, @SenatorCollins considered the Articles presented and decided that the House did not meet its burden of showing that the President’s conduct – however flawed – warranted the extreme step of immediate removal from office," Clark tweeted.