Poll: Half say Trump is victim of ‘witch hunt’
Still, nation is skeptical of president’s honesty
WASHINGTON – Amid signs that special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference may be near its conclusion, a new USA Today/suffolk University Poll finds that trust in Mueller has eroded and half of Americans now agree with President Donald Trump’s contention that he has been the victim of a “witch hunt.”
Support for the House of Representatives to seriously consider impeaching the president has dropped since October by 10 percentage points, to 28 percent.
Despite that, the survey shows a nation that remains skeptical of Trump’s honesty and deeply divided by his leadership. A 52 percent majority say they have little or no trust in the president’s denials that his 2016 campaign colluded with Moscow in the election that put him in the Oval Office.
But that number does reflect an improvement from previous polls. One year ago, 57 percent had little or no trust in his denials; in December, 59 percent did.
What’s more, Trump’s relentless attacks on Mueller and his inquiry have taken a toll on the special counsel’s credibility. Now, 28 percent say they have a lot of trust in the former FBI director’s investigation to be fair and accurate. That’s the lowest level to date, and down five points since December.
In comparison, 30 percent express a lot of trust in Trump’s denials, the highest to date.
Mueller has indicted 34 people, including Russian intelligence operatives and some Trump aides and advisers.
The indictments have detailed the eagerness of the Trump campaign to benefit from a sophisticated Russian effort to influence the 2016 election, but have not accused the president’s aides of participating in that operation. Last week, Trump’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, was sentenced to a total of 71⁄2 years in federal prison for financial crimes filed by the special counsel’s office.
The poll’s findings set the stage for a ferocious partisan battle when Mueller submits his report to Attorney General William Barr, expected soon.
Fifty percent say they agree with Trump’s assertion that the special counsel’s investigation is a “witch hunt” and that he has been subjected to more investigations than previous presidents because of politics; 47 percent disagree. Just 3 percent don’t have an opinion.
There is, unsurprisingly, a stark partisan divide on that question: 86 percent of Republicans but just 14 percent of Democrats say Trump is the victim of a “witch hunt.” Among independents, 54 percent say he is; 42 percent say he isn’t.
The poll of 1,000 registered voters, taken by landline and cellphone Wednesday through Sunday, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.