62 percent in new poll say federal charges against Trump politically motivated

Nearly two-thirds of Americans said in a new Quinnipiac University poll that the Department of Justice's (DOJ) case against former President Trump over the mishandling of classified documents after he left the White House is mainly motivated by politics. 

The poll, published Wednesday, found that 62 percent of respondents said that the DOJ’s case against the former president is mainly motivated by politics, while 34 percent of those surveyed think the federal charges against Trump are mainly motivated by law. 

Along political party lines, 91 percent of registered Republican respondents said the department’s case against Trump is mainly politically motivated, compared to 65 percent of registered Independent respondents and 28 percent of registered Democrat respondents who said the same.

Sixty-four percent of male respondents believe that the department's case against Trump is mainly politically motivated, compared to 59 percent of female respondents who agree with the same sentiment, according to the poll.

By age group, 67 percent of respondents who are 18 to 34 years of age said the department’s case against the former president is mainly politically motivated, while 53 percent of those surveyed who are 65 years or older said the same. 

Fifty-nine percent of white respondents believe the DOJ’s case against the former president is mainly politically motivated, compared to 67 percent of Hispanic respondents and 52 percent of Black respondents who have the same sentiment.

Slightly over half of respondents, 51 percent, believe Trump should be prosecuted on criminal charges over his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House. About a third of respondents, 34 percent, said they have closely followed the news regarding Trump's federal charges.

Trump, who announced his third presidential campaign last November, has been charged with 37 federal counts in connection to the mishandling of classified records at his Mar-a-Lago residence, as well as his efforts to block the government from recovering the documents.  Trump pleaded not guilty at an arrangement in a Miami courthouse earlier this month. 

The latest Quinnipiac University poll was conducted from June 15 to June 19 with a total of 1,776 respondents participating in the survey. The poll’s margin of error was 2.3 percentage points.