Poll: Majority of Americans approve of charges filed against Manafort

A majority of Americans approve of the charges filed against President Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and Manafort’s former business partner, Richard Gates, a new poll found.

According to the ABC News-Washington Post survey, 68 percent of Americans approve of the charges announced this week as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and any potential ties between Trump campaign staff members and Russia. 

A majority, 58 percent, also approve of how Mueller is managing the probe.

{mosads}The results of the poll come after a multiple-count indictment of Manafort and Gates, including charges of conspiracy against the United States and tax fraud, was unveiled on Monday.

On the same day, it was revealed that another former Trump campaign aide, George Papadopoulos, had already pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI as part of the Russia investigation.

When asked if they believe the cases are restricted to Manafort, Gates and Papadopoulos or if they believe they “represent broader wrongdoing” on the part of Trump’s campaign staff, 53 percent of respondents chose the latter. Twenty-eight percent believe the cases are restricted to the three aides, while 19 percent had no opinion.

The survey of 714 adults was conducted from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 via cellphones and landlines. It was conducted in both Spanish and English and has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.