HarrisX Poll: Dems' Interest in Impeachment Inquiry Dropping

Interest in the ongoing impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump appears to have started dropping, particularly among Democrats, after public testimony began, according to a poll released Monday. 

The Hill-HarrisX poll, released by The Hill shows the number of Democratic voters paying close attention to the inquiry dropped by 5 percentage points to 73% in the latest survey, conducted Nov. 17 and 18, reports The Hill. 

The numbers among other voters are dropping as well, the poll said: 

• 59% of independent voters said they are paying close attention.
• 64% of Republicans are paying attention.
• 65% overall say they are following the proceedings, after remaining steady at 70% in the previous two polls.

The latest survey was taken after State Department officials Amb. William Taylor and George Kent kicked off the first public hearings earlier this month.

Meanwhile, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union" that the committee plans to move forward with its upcoming impeachment report, and told NBC News' "Meet the Press" there are several more witnesses to be reviewed and questioned, but that is not going to happen as it could bring "months and months of rope a dope in the courts," which the Trump administration would love.

"We're not stopping [investigations] – the evidence is already overwhelming," Schiff told CNN. "Even as we compile this report, submit evidence, we're going to continue an investigation . . . What is open to question is whether members of Congress are going to do their duty," he said.

Senate Republicans have already made it clear that articles of impeachment would be dismissed, but Trump and members of his administration have been saying they would welcome a trial so the president can fully present his case and have evidence heard.

"The president did nothing wrong," Tony Sayegh, a former Treasury spokesman who is now handling communications for the White House during the impeachment matter, told Fox News on Monday. "We have other witnesses we need to introduce to this conversation. We need to establish an actual factual record."

The Hill-HarrisX poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters from Nov. 17-18 and has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points. Sampling error among partisan voters is higher.

• Fiona Hill, David Holmes Cap Intense Week in Impeachment Inquiry
• Trump Directed Ukraine Quid Pro Quo, Key Witness Says