Most Americans think Trump is probably a criminal

It looks like Trump’s strategy of tweeting “WITCH HUNT” on a regular basis failed to convince Americans that he is not a criminal.

According to a Pew poll released Thursday, the overwhelming majority (64 percent) of Americans believe Trump definitely or probably committed illegal acts, either while in office or during the 2016 campaign.

Even among Republicans, almost 3 in 10 say Trump definitely or probably broke the law.

While the poll did not seek further details, it is public record that Trump’s own Department of Justice claims Trump committed multiple felonies during the 2016 election. Federal prosecutors in New York, when sentencing Trump’s longtime lawyer and “fixer,” Michael Cohen, concluded that Trump directed Cohen to make illegal hush money payments to several of Trump’s alleged mistresses.

“Just to make it crystal clear, New York federal prosecutors concluded that the President of the United States committed a felony,” CNN legal analyst Renato Mariotti wrote on Twitter at the time.

When asked about Trump acting unethically, Americans have an even more unfavorable view of Trump. More than 7 in 10 Americans say Trump definitely or probably acted unethically. Among those, almost half (46 percent) say he definitely acted unethically.

The poll was conducted from March 20-25, but it was largely finished before Trump’s Attorney General, William Barr, sent a four-page summary of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report to Congress. According to the letter — written by Trump’s hand-picked Attorney General — Mueller did not exonerate Trump on charges of obstruction of justice.

Congress is demanding that Barr send them the full, uncensored report no later than April 2.

A separate survey, conducted by CNN, showed that the majority of Americans did not believe Trump had been exonerated, and a large majority want Congress to hold hearings into the contents of the Mueller report.

In the end, Trump’s legal troubles are far from over. Even though the Mueller investigation concluded, federal and state prosecutors across the country still have at least a dozen investigations into entities like the Trump Organization, Trump Foundation, Trump’s inauguration, Trump’s finances, and Trump’s family.

Of course, Congress is looking into Trump’s criminal activities as well. Rep. Katie Hill (D-CA), the vice chair of the House Oversight Committee, recently vowed that her committee will keep investigating Trump’s “highly highly suspicious” behavior.

No one — not federal prosecutors, not Congress, not the American public — is fooled by Trump’s claims of a “witch hunt.”

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.