Poll: Most Want Congress To Investigate Trump Campaign’s Russia Ties

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, joins the Senate GOP leadership during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, April 23, ... Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, joins the Senate GOP leadership during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, April 23, 2013, to criticize the FAA's plan to furlough air traffic controllers because of forced budget cuts. From left are, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., Collins and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) MORE LESS
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A majority of Americans want Congress to investigate both reported contact between Russian nationals and members of the Trump campaign, and Russian interference in the election generally.

According to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Friday, conducted from Feb. 18-22, 53 percent of the American public wants Congress to investigate reported communications between Russia and Trump’s campaign team, compared to 25 percent who disagree who say Congress shouldn’t investigate, and 21 percent who have no opinion.

Similarly, 54 percent of Americans believe Congress should investigate Russian interference in election, while 29 percent disagree and 17 percent have no opinion.

Democrats supported both investigations, when asked, by more than 80 percent. Independents supported both investigations by more than 50 percent. Republicans opposed both investigations by at least a plurality: Forty-six percent were against investigating the Trump campaign’s reported Russian contacts, and 54 percent were against investigating Russian interference in the election.

Last week, the New York Times and CNN reported that members of Trump’s campaign had repeated contact with Russian nationals, including members of the Russian intelligence community. Trump affiliates named in the Times’ articles have all denied any wrongdoing.

Multiple congressional committees have announced, and some have begun, investigations into the questions polled by NBC News/Wall Street Journal.

The Senate Intelligence Committee announced in January that it would investigate “the scope of Russian intelligence activities impacting the United States.” Since the ouster of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who lied to the Vice President about his pre-inaugural discussion of sanctions with the Russian ambassador, Republicans on the committee have said they will request that he answer questions as part of the investigation.

NBC News/Wall Street Journal conducted 1000 interviews of adults. The poll has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.

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