A Harvard CAPS/Harris poll released Monday shows that the majority of Americans are not in favor of President Donald Trump firing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is to meet the President soon to discuss his future in the administration.
Over half of all registered voters, or 60%, believe the President shouldn’t fire Rosenstein, despite reports that last year he suggested removing Trump from office. Among Republicans, 52 percent think Rosenstein should be dismissed, while the rest believe Trump shouldn’t fire him.
Over 66 percent of Democrats and another 65 percent of independents agree that Rosenstein should not lose his job, The Hill reports.
“[The] poll shows the President would be on shaky ground to outright fire Rosenstein before the midterms,” said Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll co-director Mark Penn. “He could order some investigation, review or special counsel to look into the issues at the FBI, CIA and [Department of Justice] — that is supported by wide majority.”
President Trump has often criticized Rosenstein, who oversees the special counsel’s Russia investigation, but the tensions were further strained after reports emerged that the deputy attorney general suggested wearing a wire to record Trump. Rosenstein rejects the allegations.
President Trump was to meet with Rosenstein last week, but their encounter was postponed amid the high-profile Senate Judiciary Committee hearing over Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and one of his sexual assault accusers, Christine Blasey Ford.
Trump has nonetheless indicated he would like to keep the deputy attorney general at his post. “My preference would be to keep him and to let him finish up,” Trump told reporters last week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. “I would much prefer keeping Rod Rosenstein.”
The exact date for the meeting hasn’t been set yet and remains uncertain “given all the other things that are going on with the Supreme Court,” said White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.
Monday’s poll also showed that Rosenstein has a negative favorability rating among voters, with 29 percent having a negative perception of him, compared to the 26 percent who see him favorably. Thirty-six percent of voters also believe the special counsel should take as much time as he needs on the Russia investigation, while another 28 percent think he should end it as soon as possible.
The online survey was conducted from September 26 to 27 and included 1,228 registered voters.
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