Fact-Check: Sanders Suggests Impeachment Hearings Are Convincing Americans Trump Is in ‘Violation of the Law’

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) claimed on Wednesday that the televised public impeachment hearings are convincing the American people that “we have a president who thinks he’s above the law.”

Sanders said during Wednesday evening’s debate that the public impeachment hearings are convincing the American people that “we have a president who thinks he’s above the law” and added that his opinion is that voters “do believe that this president is in violation of the law.”

Sanders stated:

What I am of the opinion is that the American people now do believe, and the more they see these impeachment hearings on television, they do believe that we have a president who thinks he’s above the law. We have a president who is engaged in corruption. We have a president who’s who has obstructed justice, and in my view, somebody who has violated the emoluments clause. I think Joe is right that is the function of an independent Department of justice, but my inclination is the American people do believe that this president is in violation of the law.

However, recent polls suggest that the public impeachment hearings are having a negative effect on the Democrats’ impeachment effort. A Politico-Morning Consult poll released Tuesday revealed that opposition to the partisan impeachment effort is growing, particularly among independent voters.

As Breitbart News reported:

The survey was taken November 15-17 among 1,994 registered voters and found that 47 percent of independents actively oppose the impeachment inquiry. This figure is a 10-point increase from last week, as noted by the Hill.

Independent support for the inquiry fell to 40 percent – a seven-point drop.

Overall, support for the inquiry dropped by two points and opposition grew by three points.

The survey also found that only 42 percent of respondents “strongly approve” or “somewhat approve” of the way House Democrats are handling the impeachment inquiry, while 46 percent “strongly disapprove” or “somewhat disapprove.”