Only the cult believes Trump on Russia
by digby
New polling from USA Today/Suffolk
The poll of 1,000 registered voters, taken after Mueller's team indicted 13 Russians and three companies on criminal charges, spotlight the potential perils ahead for the president if he ends up in a showdown with the special counsel. A 58% majority say they have a lot or some trust in Mueller's investigation, while a 57% majority say they have little or no trust in Trump's denials.
"I think he's doing a heck of a job," John Shaw, 60, of Madison, Wis., said of Mueller. "He's not leaking anything. He's going piece by piece, methodically putting this whole thing together."
Lauryne Haynes, a retiree from Farmington Hills, Mich., who also was called in the survey, puts her faith in the president. "I think that Trump had nothing to do with Russian meddling," she said in a follow-up interview. "He understands the situation that they are not our friends. I think he's truthful and I think he's sincere about wanting the best for the country."
Mueller is certainly not overtly playing politics the way that ken Starr and his leaky ship did. That' makes a big difference in the way people will perceive the outcome.If he doesn't come up with anything I think people will accept it. If he does, only the most loyal of Trump's supporters will deny it.
Even Nixon held on to about 25% of the public when he resigned. They still exist today. But for the most part when an investigation is conducted professionally and thoroughly without getting involved in the day to day partisan action, most people will accept the results. At least they have in the past and it appears that most are still prepared to do that.
For the sake of our government's legitimacy, I hope so. This Russia story is the most shocking political and national security scandal in our history.
