By M.D. Kittle
MADISON — In the wake of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s raid on former President Donald’ Trump’s Florida home, trust in the U.S. Department of Justice has plummeted, according to a new poll by the Convention of States Action.
The poll of 1,000 likely voters, conducted Aug. 19-23 by renowned pollster The Trafalgar Group, found 46.2% of respondents believe President Joe Biden’s DOJ and the FBI are “too political, corrupt, and not to be trusted.” Another 46.6% say the agencies are “to be respected for their pursuit of justice and law and order,” while 7.2% aren’t sure.
The poll found a plurality of Independents and a majority of Republicans questioned worry the FBI and the DOJ are too political and can’t be trusted.
“Despite the daily lies, obfuscations, denials, alternative storylines, and other attempts to throw the public off the scent, voters see what is really going on. They understand politics, not justice, are behind the unfolding saga, and they see that the more we know, the worse this gets for those who enforce so-called justice,” said Mark Meckler, President of Convention of States.
On Friday, a federal judge ordered the DOJ to release an affidavit used as its justification to obtain a search warrant for Trump’s Mara-a-Lago home. The heavily redacted document was released over the Justice Department’s objections, with the agency arguing the affidavit includes “highly sensitive” facts that could compromise its investigation into Trump’s removal of some of his White House records.
The DOJ earlier this month— following public pressure and criticism from Trump and Republicans that the law enforcement agencies were being used to go after Biden’s political rival — released the search warrant. That document claims Trump took classified records violating obstruction of justice laws and the U.S. Espionage Act.
The former president last week sued the DOJ, seeking a court-appointed third-party to review the seized records. He said the “political Hacks and Thugs had no right under the Presidential Records Act to storm Mar-a-Lago and steal everything in sight, including Passports and privileged documents.”
A new Rasmussen Reports poll also finds a deep erosion of trust in the federal agencies, yet 54% surveyed say they support the investigation into Trump. Another 44% disapprove.
According to Newsweek:
A poll released last week from The Economist/YouGov found that Trump saw a double-digit increase among GOP voters after the search—with 57 percent saying they had a favorable view of the former president, compared to the 45 percent who said the same before the raid. Another survey conducted just two days after the search showed Trump with his highest level of Republican support since the 2020 election.
“In their fervor to go after Donald Trump, federal authorities have completely undermined their credibility and trust with a growing segment of Americans,” Meckler said.
