Majority believe Trump indictment is politically motivated to interfere with election

Legal scholar Jonathan Turley delivered some bad news to Attorney General Merrick Garland regarding former President Donald Trump's recent federal indictment.

Turley said that the recent Harvard/Harris poll, which revealed that a majority of Americans think Trump's indictment is politically motivated in efforts to interfere with the election, is "bad news" for Garland and Biden's Justice Department.

Turley wrote in a piece published on his website:

A Harvard/Harris poll is bad news for Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Justice Department. The poll shows that 55% of Americans believe Trump’s indictment is politically motivated and 56% believe that it constitutes election interference. The poll captures the level of distrust for the Justice Department and further demonstrates what I described yesterday as the failure of Merrick Garland at the midpoint of his tenure as Attorney General.

The noted professor continued:

The view of the case appears to be worsening. Now there is less than a majority viewing the indictment as well-founded and justified. The poll shows that 83% of Republicans and 55% of Independents view the indictment as a political exercise. Not only do 56 percent view it as election interference but only 44 percent see it as “the fair application of the law.

...The poll captures the level of distrust for the Justice Department and further demonstrates what I described yesterday as the failure of Merrick Garland at the midpoint of his tenure as Attorney General. https://t.co/Y2ZdxeS7fj

— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) June 18, 2023

Turley said the poll is also "bad news" for President Biden because it revealed that 65% of voters believe Biden "mishandled" classified material. Additionally, an overwhelming 72% believe Hillary Clinton mishandled classified information regarding her setting up a private server inside her home.

Turley said the media and Justice Department seem to have "lost the room" with the American people, adding that they are "primarily appealing to Democrats who (at 80%) support the indictment."

The commentator wrote that the poor outlook on the indictment "also means that this case could conceivably never see a jury unless Special Counsel Jack Smith succeeds in pushing for a speedy trial before the election."

Turley said he believes Biden should consider promising to commute any sentence in advance.

"A majority of the public now supports a pardon for Trump if he is convicted. With these polls, the pressure of other Republican candidates to pledge a pardon is likely to increase," Turley said. "Indeed, as suggested in another column, Biden may want to consider a pledge to commute any sentence to try to defang this building election issue."