Poll: Nearly half want whistleblower identified
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump and many of his Republican supporters have demanded that the name of the whistleblower whose complaint helped spark the impeachment inquiry be revealed, arguing the president has a right to face his accuser.
Nearly half of Americans agree, according to a poll from CBS News and YouGov that was released Tuesday.
Forty-seven percent say any whistleblowers in the case should be “forced to be made public,” and 53% say they should be allowed to remain anonymous.
Whistleblower advocates say identifying the person could discourage other government officials from coming forward with concerns about potential wrongdoing. Democrats have said unmasking the whistleblower could put the person in danger without adding any value to the proceedings because many of the allegations in the complaint have been corroborated by other witnesses.
The whistleblower’s complaint shared concerns from other officials that Trump acted improperly by using military aid as leverage to pressure Ukraine into conducting investigations that would benefit him politically. Trump denied any wrongdoing, insisting that the aid was not tied to the investigations and that he only asked Ukraine to address corruption.
According to Tuesday’s poll, 26% consider Trump’s actions regarding Ukraine proper, and 31% say they were improper but legal. Forty-three percent say what the president did was illegal.
When asked what they think motivated the whistleblower, 39% in the CBS-YouGov poll say the person wanted to damage Trump politically, and 37% say it was to protect U.S. interests. Twenty-three percent want to wait for more evidence before drawing a conclusion.
Many of Trump’s supporters, including and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, said presidents use aid as leverage all the time. Democrats argued the difference is that Trump did it for personal gain.
Forty-two percent of respondents agree that Trump’s actions in Ukraine were “the kind of thing most presidents probably do with foreign countries,” but 58% do not accept that explanation and say that what Trump did was “unusual.”
Forty percent of Americans say GOP lawmakers should “wait to see more facts, then decide whether to defend him or criticize him.” Thirty percent say they are right to defend Trump, and another 30% say they should be criticizing him.
Fifty-three percent of Americans say they approve of opening the impeachment inquiry, and 47% disapprove. Forty-three percent say they favor impeaching Trump, and 40% say they don’t think his actions rose to the level of impeachment.
Open hearings in the impeachment inquiry are scheduled to begin Wednesday. Though 73% say their mind is made up no matter what might come out of the hearings, 27% say they could change their mind.