A new poll from AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research has found that only a third of Americans believe Donald Trump committed a crime in the “hush money” case.
Trump stands accused of having obfuscated his business records to cover up a payment to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. Trump has pleaded “not guilty” to 34 felony counts of falsifying company documents. It is the first Trump’s cases to go to trial, and the first criminal trial of any president in American history. Nearly half of Americans believe Trump did something illegal in the other three cases.
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However, half of Americans think Trump would be unfit to serve as president if he is found guilty in the trial.
Poll respondents also doubt that Trump will receive a fair treatment from prosecutors, the judge, and the jurors in the case. The former president has also said he will not be able to have a fair trial in Manhattan, referencing its Democratic Party-aligned judges and jurors. Judge Juan M. Merchan has said that the main criteria is “whether the prospective juror can assure us that they will set aside any personal feelings or biases and render a decision that is based on the evidence and the law.” The selection process for a jury began yesterday; on Tuesday, five candidates were dismissed due to lack of impartiality.
A verdict is predicted to be reached in about six weeks, about a month before the Republican National Convention (RNC) which begins July 15th.
Shane Devine is a writer covering politics and business for VT and a regular guest on The Unusual Suspects. Follow Shane’s work here.
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