Poll: Nearly half say Trump will be cleared in Russia probe

Almost half of voters in a new poll said they believe it is likely President Trump will be cleared in special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Forty-eight percent of voters in the Politico/Morning Consult poll said it is “very or somewhat likely” the president will be cleared of wrongdoing in the investigation, while 37 percent said “it’s not too likely or not at all likely” the president will be exonerated. 

The poll comes as Mueller’s probe moves closer to Trump’s inner circle. 

{mosads}Mueller has interviewed figures close to Trump such as White House communications director Hope Hicks, former press secretary Sean Spicer and former chief of staff Reince Priebus. 

Reports surfaced this week that the president’s lawyers have corresponded with FBI investigators about a potential interview between Trump and Mueller. 

Talks about the potential interview reportedly started after Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, was indicted last October. 

Manafort’s business associate, Richard Gates, was also indicted as a part of the probe, while former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos and former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn seperately pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. 

The Politico/Morning Consult poll was conducted on Jan. 4-5, among 1,988 registered voters. Its margin of error is 2 percentage points.