While the FBI announced on Friday it discovered perhaps “tens of thousands” of new emails related to its investigation of Hillary Clinton and her unauthorized use of a private email server as Secretary of State, a roundup of polls show that a majority of voters believe she should have faced criminal charges for her mishandling of classified information.
A Washington Post/ABC News poll released in July found 56 percent of adults disapproved of the FBI’s decision not to indict Clinton over the use of her private server as Secretary of State. One-third of Democrats and 90 percent of Republicans said she should have faced criminal charges. Over one-third of independents (33 percent) said the non-indictment made them less likely to vote for Clinton.
A Rasmussen poll released on Oct. 21 found that 53 percent believed Clinton should have been indicted. Seventy percent said the former Secretary of State’s mishandling of classified information was an important factor in their vote for president, including 49 percent who called it “very important.” Over a third (37 percent) of Clinton supporters said that FBI’s non-indictment was important to their vote, and 62 percent of respondents said Clinton’s emails were deleted to hide something “incriminating.” One quarter of Democrats said Clinton should have been indicted.
And a Breitbart News/Garvis poll released Thursday showed that a majority, 51 percent, said they believe “the FBI made the wrong decision and she should have been prosecuted.” Trump and Clinton were statistically tied before the FBI announced they were continuing their investigation of Clinton’s emails after seizing at least one device belonging to disgraced former Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner and top Clinton aide, Huma Abedin.
The investigation’s new turn could reignite smoldering discontent with Clinton’s escape from consequences that sent other military and public officials to jail.