Poll: Nearly half of Americans say Congress should try to impeach Trump

Nearly half of Americans say Congress should try to impeach President Trump, according to a new Washington Post–ABC News poll released Friday.

Among those polled, 49 percent say Congress should begin impeachment proceedings against Trump, compared to 46 percent who say they don’t support such a move.

The number pushing for impeachment proceedings is highest among liberals, at 70 percent, but includes 51 percent of self-identified moderates and 30 percent of conservatives polled.

{mosads}While a handful of Democrats on Capitol Hill have said they support impeachment, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) have said it’s not a priority and may be wary of firing up a defensive GOP ahead of November’s midterm elections. 

The numbers correspond with a 60 percent disapproval rating in the poll. Trump’s approval rating stands at 36 percent among those surveyed. The disapproval rating is an uptick from an April Washington Post–ABC News poll, which had it at 56 percent.

The poll also shows substantial support for special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election, including whether the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow and whether Trump has obstructed justice. Approximately 63 percent of Americans support the probe, while 29 percent oppose. 

Additionally, 53 percent of Americans say they believe Trump has tried to interfere in a Mueller probe in a way that amounts to obstruction of justice.

The poll was conducted shortly after two cases initiated by the Mueller team against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former Trump personal attorney and fixer Michael Cohen made the news. 

Manafort was found guilty of eight counts of bank and tax fraud, while Cohen pleaded guilty to eight counts of bank fraud, tax fraud and campaign finance law violations. 

The campaign finance violations stem from hush-money payments Cohen arranged during the campaign to women who allegedly had affairs with Trump. Cohen said he made the payments at the direction of “a candidate for federal office.”

Trump has repeatedly railed against the Mueller investigation, calling it a “witch hunt.” 

Reports have circulated that Trump intends to fire and replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions after the midterm elections. Such a move would allow him to put in place an attorney general who would be willing to shut down the Mueller probe. 

However, 64 percent of Americans think Trump should leave Sessions in his job, along with 19 percent who say he should fire the attorney general.

The Washington Post–ABC News contacted 1,003 people from Sunday to Wednesday, and the poll has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.