Donald Trump Poll: More Than Half Of Americans Want Independent Russian Probe

More than half of all Americans stand in support of an independent investigation being conducted to determine President Trump’s level of involvement with the Russian government.

According to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, 52 percent of respondents agreed they would like to see a probe that has already ensnared one top administration official and led to scrutiny being cast on several others continue.

Most Americans also agreed they are now at least somewhat concerned about the possibility that the Republican businessman’s campaign had inappropriate contacts with the Russian government during his campaign run and upset of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Overall, more than 75 percent of Democratic respondents agreed they favor an independent investigation, compared to roughly one-fourth (23 percent) of Republicans.

Since taking office more than two months ago, Trump and his administration have been dogged by reports of some of their associates being involved with Russian officials, including the possibility that the two sides may have conspired to influence last November’s election in Trump’s favor.

In addition to Flynn being ousted, newly minted Attorney General Jeff Sessions has also been forced to recuse himself from an ongoing Justice Department investigation after it was uncovered he failed to inform investigators he met with at least one of the same ambassadors as Flynn did.

Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort is also slated to be questioned by congressional investigators, as is Trump’s son-in-law and senior-level cabinet member Jared Kushner.

The president has steadfastly denied any inappropriate links to Russia, though 44 percent of poll respondents agreed they’re very or extremely concerned that Trump or others involved in his campaign had inappropriate contacts with the Russian government.

All the suspicion and speculation has taken its toll on Trump and his administration.

A Massachusetts city has become the latest in a growing number of municipalities across now calling for the impeachment investigations of the president based on alleged conflicts of interest. The Cambridge City Council is slated to soon vote on a resolution calling for the U.S. House of Representatives to begin such a probe.

Representatives for Trump have long insisted he has already resigned from the more than 400 entities he was once associated with, putting an end to any potential conflict of interest that may have existed. The resolution follows similar ones called for in Richmond, Virginia; Berkeley, California; and Alameda, California.

The resolution further argues, “from the moment he took office, President Trump was in violation of the Foreign Emoluments Clause and the Domestic Emoluments Clause of the United States Constitution.” The resolution adds such alleged violations, undermine the integrity of the position of the president and “corruptly advance the personal wealth of the President, and violate the public trust.

The Massachusetts’ resolution also states, “the City Council calls upon the United States House of Representatives to support a resolution authorizing and directing the House Committee on the Judiciary to investigate whether sufficient grounds exist for the impeachment of Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, including but not limited to the violations of the Foreign Emoluments Clause and the Domestic Emoluments Clause of the United States Constitution.”

Meanwhile, a recent McClatchy-Marist poll also found that one in three voters now insist they would give Trump a grade of “F” for his early presidency.

Thirty-two percent of respondents graded Trump an F, while 22 percent gave him a B and 15 percent each graded him at A, C, and D. In all, 51 percent of respondents disapprove of the president’s early job performance, compared with 38 percent of voters who approve.

In contrast, at this point in his presidency in 2009, President Obama got an A or B from 58 percent of respondents and an F from just 11 percent.

[Featured Image by Olivier Douliery/Getty Images]