New Poll Finds Many Americans Think Obama Administration ‘Improperly’ Spied On Trump Campaign
A recently released survey is suggesting many Americans think President Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign was “improperly surveilled” by the Obama administration. The IBD/TIPP poll, conducted between January 25 and February 2, also found many want a special investigation of the FBI and Justice Department to uncover any alleged misconduct.
Specifically, the poll results show 55 percent believe it was “likely” Obama’s administration inappropriately ordered surveillance of the Trump campaign. Of those respondents, 87 percent identified as Republican, 31 percent Democrat, and 55 percent considered themselves independent.
The poll found 54 percent think a special counsel should look into wrongdoings related to unwarranted surveillance of Trump’s 2016 election campaign by the FBI and Justice Department. Broken down by party, 44 percent of Democrats, 74 percent of Republicans, and 50 percent of independents all thought an investigation is needed.
As Investors Business Daily explained, likely targets of an investigation would include high ranking government officials under the Obama administration, including Attorney General Loretta Lynch and previous FBI Director James Comey. The Steele dossier allegedly paid for by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the DNC would also be under scrutiny.
The survey also wanted to know if Americans thought some senior members of the FBI were behind an effort to frame Donald Trump and make the election campaign look bad by insinuating a collaboration with the Russian government. The results indicated nearly 60 percent of the respondents did not think so; only 35 percent believed there was a conspiracy to sabotage Trump’s campaign.
In another survey conducted by Rasmussen and quoted by Breitbart, 50 percent of participants stated that it is “somewhat likely” government officials violated the law while attempting to keep Trump out of the White House. A separate Rasmussen poll found 34 percent think the FBI played a more significant part in manipulating the 2016 election than the Russians.
Since the State of the Union address on January 30, President Trump’s approval rating has improved, with Rasmussen Reports indicate that it has now surpassed former President Barack Obama’s at the same point in his presidency. Additionally, many Americans maintain a positive outlook as 42 percent, the highest in nearly 10 months, of those polled feel the country is headed in a good direction. Despite the roller coaster ride taken by the stock market last week, consumer confidence in the economy just recently hit a four-year high as well.
