The latest Hill-HarrisX Poll shows steadily dwindling interest among Democratic voters in the push for impeachment against President Donald Trump.
The Poll, published by The Hill on Monday, recorded a drop in engagement among Democrats and independents for the impeachment hearings over the past few weeks since the inquiry began.
On the question, “How closely are you following the news about the impeachment inquiry?” 73 percent of Democrats responded “very closely,” a 5 percent drop since the last survey.
Correspondingly, 64 percent of Republicans said they watched it closely, while 59 percent of independents said they did. On average, the number of registered voters watching the impeachment hearings dipped below 70 percent since the inquiry was initiated by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sept. 24, 2019.
Meanwhile, Trump commented on Twitter on Tuesday, “The D.C. Wolves and Fake News Media are reading far too much into people being forced by Courts to testify before Congress. I am fighting for future Presidents and the Office of the President. Other than that, I would actually like people to testify. Don McGahn’s respected.”
The D.C. Wolves and Fake News Media are reading far too much into people being forced by Courts to testify before Congress. I am fighting for future Presidents and the Office of the President. Other than that, I would actually like people to testify. Don McGahn’s respected….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2019
Also, more high-profile Democrats have started to openly question the justification for impeachment.
Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-Mich.), who previously called for an impeachment inquiry against Republican President Donald Trump, said that she does not support impeaching the president at this time.
“You can censure, you don’t have to remove the president. So there’s different levels of activities that you can take under the articles of impeachment,” Lawrence said on the “No BS News Hour” program over the weekend.
“We are so close to an election, so I can tell you, sitting here, knowing how divided this country is, I don’t see the value of kicking him out of office, but I do see the value of putting down a marker saying his behavior is not acceptable.”
Lawrence, 65, who has been in office since 2015, said that articles of impeachment would be written by the House Judiciary Committee after the House Intelligence Committee writes a report based on its findings.
“I feel that there’s significant evidence based on the interviews and documents to impeach,” Lawrence said.
“It will be a partisan vote, Democrat and Republican. It will go to the Senate, which will take it up, and if they take it up, they will not indict. That’s my assessment of what will happen.”
This follows two House Democrats voting with Republicans against the House impeachment process resolution.
Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and Rep. Jeff Van Drew (D-N.J.) both voted no on Oct. 31.
