A majority of voters say there's a political motivation for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate former President Donald Trump, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey.
While most voters (61%) in the survey say the appointment is politically motivated, 50% approve of Attorney General Merrick Garland's decision to appoint a special counsel to investigate Trump.
Garland appointed former federal prosecutor Jack Smith to determine if Trump will face charges in connection with his attempts to reverse the 2020 presidential election or in connection with taking government documents to his home in Florida.
About a third, 34%, of likely voters in the survey say the Trump investigation is not politically motivated, including 19% who say it is not at all likely.
Democrats in the survey are far more in favor of the special counsel probe of Trump than other voters; 78% of Democrats approve of Garland's appointment of a special counsel; 25% of Republicans and 43% of voters not affiliated with either major party; 67% of Republicans disapprove of the special counsel appointment, as do 16% of Democrats and 46% of unaffiliated voters.
More than a third — 35% — of voters in the poll have a favorable impression of Garland, including 16% who have a very favorable opinion of the attorney general; 40% view Garland unfavorably, including 27% with a very unfavorable impression of him; 25% are not sure.
Only among Democrats do a majority (56%) have a favorable impression of Garland, who is viewed favorably by just 17% of Republicans and 30% of unaffiliated voters, according to the Rasmussen survey.
Fewer white respondents (44%) in the survey than black voters (68%) or other minorities (54%) approve of Garland's appointment of a special counsel to investigate Trump. Black voters (47%) are more likely than whites (34%) or other minorities (30%) to have a favorable impression of Garland. However, a majority of all racial categories — 61% of whites, 60% of black voters, and 63% of other minorities — think it's at least somewhat likely the special counsel investigation of Trump is politically motivated, Rasmussen notes.
A majority (52%) of voters 65 and older believe it is very likely that the special counsel investigation is politically motivated, as do 49% of those ages 40-64, but just 32% of voters under 40 share that opinion. Voters 65 and older are also most likely to have a very unfavorable impression of Garland, Rasmussen reports.
Voters with annual incomes over $200,000 are most likely to view Garland favorably. Those with incomes below $50,000 a year are most likely to see the special counsel investigation of Trump as politically motivated, according to the survey.
There is a clear correlation between voters' opinions of Garland and their suspicion of political motives in the Trump investigation, Rasmussen notes. Among voters who have a very unfavorable impression of Garland, 90% believe it's very likely the special counsel investigation of Trump is politically motivated. Among those with a very favorable view of Garland, only 17% think it is very likely the special counsel investigation is politically motivated.
The Rasmussen survey of 1,000 U.S. likely voters was conducted on Nov. 28-29 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC.