Poll: Two-thirds of Americans want a special prosecutor to investigate Trump and Russia

CNN poll finds majority backs special prosecutor in Trump-Russia probe

(Image credit: CNN/YouTube)

published 6 March 2017

President Trump did not get a bump in the polls from his big speech to Congress last week, and in fact his favorability and job approval ratings have proved pretty steady since his inauguration — both numbers up to 45 percent, from 44 percent in January — according to a CNN/ORC International poll released Monday. But a prospective special prosecutor to investigate any ties between Russia and Trump's campaign or business interests has gotten a boost, with 65 percent of American adults backing a special prosecutor to handle the investigation versus 35 percent who think Congress can handle it.

A majority of respondents, 55 percent, say they are very (37 percent) or somewhat (18 percent) concerned about the Trump campaign's potential ties to Russian operatives, with 17 percent saying they are not very concerned and 28 percent saying they are not concerned at all. Political party affiliation drives that split, with Democrats and independents strongly worried about any Trump-Russia ties and Republicans largely blasé. That polarization on Trump and Russia has increased since his inauguration.

If Trump's favorability numbers have held steady, Congress and Vice President Mike Pence have gotten notably more popular. Congress' favorability numbers are up to 28 percent from 20 percent, while Pence is now viewed more favorably than Trump, with a 47 percent favorable and 37 percent unfavorable rating, up from his 40/37 percent split in January. The poll was conducted March 1-4 among 1,025 adults, and has a sampling error of ±3 percentage points.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.