Poll: Most Americans Say Democrat Impeachment Effort Is Politically Motivated

Most Americans believe that the House-led Democrat impeachment effort is politically motivated and not based on legitimate legal concerns, the McLaughlin & Associates’ October Poll released last week revealed.

The McLaughlin & Associates National Survey, taken October 17-22 among 1,000 likely voters, found that the majority of Americans believe the Democrat-led impeachment effort is politically motivated.

Respondents were asked, “Do you think that Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats are moving forward with their impeachment inquiry against President Trump mainly for political reasons to stop him from being re-elected or mainly for legal reasons?”

The majority, 52 percent, said Democrats are moving forward with the inquiry mainly for political reasons, while just over one-third, 36 percent, said it is based on legitimate legal concerns.

Respondents were also asked about the House leadership’s failure to hold a full House vote on the impeachment inquiry.

“Historic precedent has always been that to begin an impeachment inquiry the House of Representatives has always held a vote,” the survey stated.

“Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats are now breaking with precedent to conduct a purely partisan impeachment. In your opinion do you think that unless Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats hold a vote, the President is right NOT to cooperate with this inquiry?” it asked.

Forty-seven percent said the president is right not to cooperate with the inquiry, while 33 percent said no. The poll’s margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent.

On Monday, Democrats announced that the House will “vote Thursday to formalize procedures for the next phase of the impeachment inquiry into President Trump,” the Washington Post reported.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) wrote in a letter:

For weeks, the President, his Counsel in the White House, and his allies in Congress have made the baseless claim that the House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry ‘lacks the necessary authorization for a valid impeachment proceeding’  claiming that their complaints have “no merit.”

We are taking this step to eliminate any doubt as to whether the Trump Administration may withhold documents, prevent witness testimony, disregard duly authorized subpoenas, or continue obstructing the House of Representatives.

House Republicans have decried the impeachment inquiry over the lack of transparency, particularly when it comes to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff’s (D-CA) secret impeachment lair, which roughly two dozen House Republicans stormed last week.