The publication of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report about the circumstances surrounding Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election has not significantly changed public opinion about President Trump and the investigation as a whole, pollster Mallory Newall said Tuesday.
“Some Americans are always going to care, but they have cared already. They have cared long before the Mueller investigation and question about [Trump’s] finances. Other Americans are going to believe that–they don’t trust the media. They don’t trust what they are saying, and they believe the president. This is not an issue for them, ” Newall, the research director at Ipsos Public Affairs, told “What America’s Thinking” host Jamal Simmons.
“It speaks to which tribe you are listening to, and which tribe you belong to,” she said.
Fifteen percent of respondents to an Ipsos/Reuters survey conducted in April said the Mueller report had changed their minds about the Trump campaign and/or Russia’s involvement in the presidential race, while 70 percent said that the Muller report did not change their mind.
“I think what it shows, more than anything, is the deep political and tribal splits right now,” Newall added.
Both parties have continued to spar over the implications of Mueller’s investigation even after its completion. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that he considered the matter closed and ruled out further hearings on Trump and Russian interference.
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) objected strongly, accusing McConnell of trying to “whitewash” the investigation.
—Philip Wang
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