Most American voters back charging a sitting president and believe President Trump committed crimes before he was elected, a new poll says.
Sixty-nine percent of American voters said they believe a sitting president should be subject to criminal charges, according to a poll released Wednesday by Quinnipiac University. By comparison, only 24% said they support waiting for presidents to face charges until they leave office.
A majority of American voters, 57%, believe that Trump engaged in illegal conduct prior to the 2016 presidential election, while only 29% believed he did not. However, 45% of voters believe he committed crimes while in office, and another 45% do not.
Sixty-one percent of Americans don’t back launching impeachment proceedings against Trump though, while 33% support starting the process.
Although several of Trump’s associates and former campaign staffers were charged in connection with special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, Trump has not been charged.
Mueller said last month that charging Trump with a crime was “not an option we could consider,” citing Justice Department policy. However, Mueller also said his office would have said Trump was cleared if they were confident Trump didn’t commit a crime.
The poll was conducted from June 6 to 10 with a sample size of 1,214 voters. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
