More Americans want an independent commission to investigate any collusion between Russia and President Trump’s 2016 campaign team, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Monday evening.
The May 10-14 poll concluded that nearly three-in-five adults believe “Congress should launch an independent investigation into communications between the Russian government and the Trump campaign during the 2016 election.” The percentage, 59 percent, is up from 54 percent in February, which could indicate Trump’s abrupt firing of FBI Director James Comey caused some to worry about the continuation of the agency’s probe.
The poll showed that 41 percent of Republicans and 79 percent of Democrats want a separate commission to investigate Trump and Russia. The share of Republicans shot up 11 points since February, while Democrats dropped 2 points.
Respondents overwhelmingly wanted to see somebody with legal or law enforcement experience replace Comey. Forty-eight percent called for a “credible” FBI outsider, while 37 percent said they wanted “someone from within the FBI” and another 5 percent voted for an FBI outsider who is “close to the Trump administration.”
The House and Senate intelligence committees are looking into the matter but have not shared any evidence indicating that either party colluded or communicated in an improper manner during the campaign.
The survey was conducted online among 1,541 adults nationwide, including 515 Republicans and 686 Democrats. Questions among all adults had a 3 percentage point margin of error. Questions among Republican voters had a 5 percentage point margin and 4 points among Democrats.
