Almost half of Americans say Trump will likely be cleared in the Russia investigation this year


Special Counsel Robert Mueller is reportedly poised to request an interview with President Trump in the coming weeks or months, but a plurality of Americans think nothing will come of it. Overall, an entire 48 percent of voters say it is very or somewhat likely that Trump will be cleared of any wrongdoing in 2018, while 37 percent say it is not too likely or not likely at all that Trump will be cleared, a new poll by Politico/Morning Consult has found.
Mueller is reportedly interested in learning whether or not Trump tried to obstruct justice, and is less interested in "the broader question of possible collusion with Russia," The New York Times writes. Tellingly, fewer than a third of voters believe Trump will leave office in the next year, although more than half of Democrats think it is very or somewhat likely.
Mueller's probe has so far ensnared Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort and his business associate and Trump's former foreign policy adviser, George Papadopoulos. Four in 10 Americans say it is a distinct possibility that one of Trump's relatives such as Donald Trump Jr. or Jared Kushner will be indicted in the coming months too.
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The poll reached 1,988 voters between Jan. 4-5 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 points. Read the full results at Politico.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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