Most Americans believe President Donald Trump will get a fair impeachment trial in the Senate and that he should allow his top aides to testify in the proceedings, according to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll.
The public remains almost evenly divided on whether to impeach and remove Trump from office, with 49% in favor and 46% against it, reports ABC News, noting that the numbers are almost identical to the 49%-47% split in October.
The poll, conducted by landline and cell phones from Dec. 10-15, included a random national sample of 1,003 adults and carried a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
The numbers about Trump's fair treatment and the aides' testimony showed:
- 62% said he'll be treated fairly.
- 71% said he should let aides testify.
- 55% said Trump was treated fairly during House Intelligence and Judiciary Committee hearings.
- 51% say Trump should be censured rather than impeached, with 42% disagreeing.
The numbers showed that most people think Trump will receive a fair trial:
- 61% of Republicans.
- 62% of Democrats.
- 64% of independents.
The parties also were close on whether Trump should let his aides testify:
- 64% of Republicans.
- 72% of independents.
- 79% of Democrats.
Other results were sharply divided by party as well. Even though 55% overall said Trump was treated fairly in House hearings, 87% of Democrats agreed, compared to 58% of independents and 17% of Republicans.
In addition, 85% of Democrats said Trump should be impeached and removed, compared with 12% of Republicans and 47% of independents.
The poll also revealed that 49% overall think Trump improperly pushed Ukraine into investigating former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, but 39% think he did not cross the line. Also, 49% said they think Trump tried to interfere with the impeachment inquiry, leading to obstruction of Congress — one of two impeachment articles he is facing — but 43% disagreed.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.