Most Americans believe the naming of a special counsel to probe into former President Donald Trump, which Attorney General Merrick Garland decided on last month, is likely politically motivated in nature, a Rasmussen Reports survey released Monday found.
While opinions vary on the appointment of a special counsel — 50 percent approve, 43 percent disapprove, and 8 percent remain unsure across the board — Americans are in agreement that the investigation itself is likely politically motivated in nature.
Sixty-one percent, overall, said it is at least somewhat likely that it is politically motivated, and of those, 44 percent said it is “very” likely. Only 19 percent said it is “not at all likely” that it is politically motivated, while 15 percent said it is “not very” likely. Another five percent remain unsure.
While a majority of Democrats, 57 percent, believe it is not politically motivated, most Republicans and independents believe it is — 83 percent and 65 percent, respectively.
Additionally, a plurality of independents, 46 percent, disapprove of the special counsel, as do 67 percent of Republicans.
Per Rasmussen Reports:
Democrats are far more in favor of the special counsel probe of Trump than other voters. Seventy-eight percent (78%) of Democrats approve of Garland’s appointment of a special counsel, compared to 25% of Republicans and 43% of voters not affiliated with either major party. Sixty-seven percent (67%) of Republicans disapprove of the special counsel appointment, as do 16% of Democrats and 46% of unaffiliated voters.
The survey, taken November 28-29 among 1,000 likely U.S. voters, has a +/- 3 percent margin of error and comes weeks after Garland announced Jack Smith to oversee the Justice Department’s investigation into former President Donald Trump — a move that occurred mere days after Trump formally announced his 2024 candidacy for president.
“The Department of Justice has long recognized that in certain extraordinary cases, it is in the public’s interest to appoint a special prosecutor to independently manage an investigation and prosecution,” Garland stated.
Notably, Smith’s wife, Katy Chevigny, is no Trump ally, making contributions to both President Biden as well as radical leftist Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) over the years. She also assisted in producing the 2020 Michelle Obama documentary Becoming, as Breitbart News revealed.
Trump, however, said he is “not going to partake” in the investigation, dismissing it as nothing more than “the latest in a long series of witch hunts.”
“I have been proven innocent for six years on everything — from fake impeachments to Mueller, who found no collusion, and now I have to do it more? It is not acceptable. It is so unfair. It is so political,” Trump said.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.