Only a third of Americans think Trump acted illegally in New York case: Poll

A new poll conducted by AP-NORC revealed that only a third of Americans believe former President Donald Trump acted illegally regarding the ongoing New York case in which he was accused of falsifying business records.

The poll, released Tuesday, surveyed 1,204 adults in April via phone and online interviews. Respondents were asked a series of questions regarding the four criminal cases lodged against Trump.

Last year, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) charged Trump with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in an alleged attempt to cover up so-called "hush money" payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels, who claims the two had an affair. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denied the affair.

Overall, 35% of respondents said Trump acted illegally in the case, the poll reported. Most Democrats, 62%, replied that the former president's actions were illegal, while only 32% of independents and 6% of Republicans agreed. A significant portion, 31%, of those surveyed replied that Trump's actions were "unethical, but not illegal." Only 14% said Trump did "nothing wrong," while 29% answered that they did not know enough about the case to provide an opinion.

If Trump is found guilty in the case, 50% of respondents, including 82% of Democrats, 47% of independents, and 15% of Republicans, said he would no longer be considered "fit for office."

When asked how they believe Trump is being treated in the cases, 44% said they are "not very/not at all confident" that New York state prosecutors are treating him fairly. Additionally, "most do not have a lot of faith that the U.S. Supreme Court, judges, or jurors can be fair and impartial in cases involving Trump," the survey found.

Anything else?

Jury selection for the New York case kicked off this week. Prospective jurors were required to answer whether they were affiliated with Antifa, Proud Boys, or QAnon. They were also asked where they read and watch the news. As of Wednesday evening, seven jurors had been selected.

Six of the seven newly selected jurors stated that they read the New York Times, according to NBC News. Only one juror admitted to watching Fox News and another CNN. Other selected individuals said they read and watch the news on TikTok and Google.

Bragg is pushing Acting Justice Juan Merchan to hold Trump in contempt for allegedly violating the judge's gag order that prevents the former president from making statements about individuals involved in the case or their family members. According to prosecutors, Trump published posts on social media about "two sleazebags," which Bragg alleges were references to Daniels and Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen.

"This Court should warn defendant that future violations of the Court's restrictions on his extrajudicial statements can be punished not only with additional fines, but also with a term of incarceration of up to thirty days," Bragg wrote in a recent motion.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!