The majority of Americans think Trump fired Comey to slow the Russia investigation

Over half of Americans believe President Trump's decision to fire FBI Director James Comey last week was motivated by the intent to "slow down or stop" an investigation into "Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible links with the Trump campaign," a Monmouth University poll published Thursday reveals.

Forty percent of respondents said it was very likely that slowing or stopping the investigation was Trump's intent, while 19 percent say it was somewhat likely. Only 27 percent said it was not likely at all. Americans are increasingly believing Trump's attitude toward Russia is a national security threat, too, with opinion shifting from 43 percent agreeing to 52 percent agreeing over the course of the week.

The poll was conducted by phone between May 13-17 (excluding May 14, a Sunday) and reached 1,002 adults. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent. See the full results here.

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