Most voters think DOJ indictments add drama, but will hurt Trump: poll

A majority of Americans, 57 percent, believe a new criminal indictment against former President Trump was served to add drama to the presidential election, according to a monthly Harvard CAPS-Harris poll released Friday.

However, an identical majority of respondents said an additional indictment would hurt Trump’s chances at a second term.

The poll comes as Trump was served a target letter Sunday by federal special counsel Jack Smith in his investigation in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on the Capitol and the former president’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election — sparking speculation that Smith may soon indict Trump again on additional charges.

The former president was indicted on 37 criminal counts related to Smith’s investigation of mishandling of classified documents in June. A New York state investigation also indicted Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business documents in April.

The poll found that Americans are almost perfectly split on whether Trump was responsible for the Jan. 6 insurrection and whether he committed a crime. However, about 57 percent of respondents said that prosecutors would have a “strong case” against Trump in any 2020 election trial.

The former president is also being investigated for election interference activities by a Georgia grand jury on state charges, which could result in charges.

Overall, 56 percent of respondents said Trump is likely to be acquitted of any charges brought against him. That number includes 80 percent of Republicans, 30 percent of Democrats and 61 percent of independents.

The survey polled 2,068 people between July 19-20, after Trump announced he received the target letter.

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