NEW POLL: More Americans Want Trump CRIMINALLY Prosecuted for Jan. 6 Than Don’t — But It’s Close
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One year after the Capitol insurrection, a new poll finds that more Americans want former President Donald Trump to be prosecuted than don’t.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris delivered speeches at the Capitol on Thursday morning to mark the anniversary, and Biden poured out a devastating critique of the former president — Biden never uttered the name — that laid the blame for the attack squarely at Trump’s feet.
And according to a new The Economist/YouGov poll, a plurality of Americans want Trump to be prosecuted for one part of his role in the attack.
Respondents were asked a fairly narrow question about prosecuting Trump: “Should Congress refer President Trump for prosecution for obstructing Congress by trying to stop the certification of electoral votes in the 2020 Election?”
On that narrow basis, which doesn’t cover any potential charge related to incitement of violence, 41 percent of respondents said “Yes, he should be referred for prosecution.”
But an almost equal 39 percent said “No, he should not be referred for prosecution,” while a sizeable 20 percent said they didn’t know.
Similar responses were given when respondents were asked “Did President Trump urge his supporters to engage in violence on January 6, 2021? ”
Forty-three percent responded “yes,” while 39 percent said “no” and 18 percent said they didn’t know.
But when asked “How much responsibility does President Trump have for the takeover of the Capitol on January 6, 2021?”, a slim 51 percent majority said Trump bore “a lot” (39%) or “some” (12%) responsibility for the attack.
Also this week, Attorney General Merrick Garland promised that the Justice Department “remains committed to holding all January 6 perpetrators at any level accountable under law whether they were present that day, or were otherwise criminally responsible for an assault on our democracy. We will follow the facts wherever they lead.”
If those facts lead to Trump, this poll indicates there will be a lot of people who’ll be happy with that, but almost as many who won’t.
