One in four Republicans think former President Donald Trump did something either illegal or unethical in keeping government materials with him when he left office.
A new NPR NewsHour/Marist national poll suggests that 44% of Americans think Trump did something illegal when he held onto documents after leaving the Presidency, some of which were classified.
The documents were recovered in August during an FBI search of Trump's offices at his Florida resort Mar-a-Lago.
Another 17% think that Trump did something unethical, but not illegal, according to the poll.
The Justice Department said federal agents confiscated 33 boxes and containers in the August 8th search, including over 10,000 government records that should have been given to the National Archives and Records Administration months ago.
It's unclear if Trump will face criminal charges. His legal team is currently negotiating with the Justice Department regarding the selection of a Special Master to review documents seized when the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago.
Nearly 30% of Americans, including 63% of Republicans, think the former president did nothing wrong, according to the poll.
Another 47% of Americans feel that Trump did something wrong and should be charged as a result, including 10% of Republicans.
On the other hand, 14% of Americans, including 15% of Republicans, think that Trump did something wrong but should not face criminal charges.
"Former President Trump is losing the battle with public opinion over whether he did anything wrong by taking government documents to Mar-a-Lago," Lee M. Miringoff, Director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, said in a statement. "But his core support remains intact regardless of the results of the investigation."
When asked if they wanted Trump to run for president again, 33% of Americans said yes – including 67% of Republicans, 28% of independents and 9% of Democrats, according to the poll.
Trump has not made an official announcement about running for president in 2024, though he has hinted at the possibility multiple times.
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