A majority of voters said they are in favor of the Justice Department’s move to drop its criminal case against retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn.
A Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll survey reported by the Hill found that 51% of voters said they supported the decision and that 49% opposed it.
The poll came after a declassified National Security Agency document showed dozens of former Obama administration officials received information in response to “unmasking” requests related to Flynn during the presidential transition period.
Flynn, who was briefly President Trump’s first national security adviser, pleaded guilty to lying to federal agents in 2017 but filed to withdraw his guilty plea earlier this year after the Justice Department asked the judge to sentence him to up to six months in prison. His lead attorney, Sidney Powell, urged the judge to dismiss the case by arguing that the FBI treated Flynn unfairly, and the DOJ filed to do just that last week.
The judge presiding over the case invited outside opinions Tuesday and appointed a retired judge on Wednesday to argue against the motion to dismiss and to explore whether Flynn should be held in contempt for perjury.
Fifty-three percent of respondents said they supported the decision after being made aware of possible breaches of process by the FBI. Forty-seven percent were opposed.
The survey was conducted May 13-14 among 1,854 registered voters. The poll was weighted for age and the propensity to be online.
