Poll: 52% believe top federal law enforcement broke law to harm Trump

President Donald J. Trump prepares to board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019, en route to Hollywood, Fla. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)

There are crooks at the top of federal law enforcement who broke the law to try to block President Trump but probably won't ever be punished, a majority of voters say.

The Rasmussen Reports survey found 52% of likely U.S. voters think it likely "senior federal law enforcement officials broke the law in an effort to prevent Trump from winning the presidency."

Only 39% say it's unlikely.

And 36% say it's very likely officials broke the law.

"A plurality (43%) thinks these officials should be jailed if they are found guilty of breaking the law to prevent a Trump presidency, up dramatically from 25% early this year, while another 22% say they should just be fired. Fifteen percent (15%) favor a formal reprimand. Just 11% say no disciplinary action should be taken," the survey found.

"But only 34% of voters believe the officials in question are likely to face criminal charges for their anti-Trump activity, with just 16% who say it’s Very Likely. Fifty-five percent (55%) see criminal prosecution of these rogue officials as unlikely, including 24% who feel it’s Not At All Likely."

Also, the poll said 80% "who Strongly Approve of the job Trump is doing think it’s Very Likely that senior federal law enforcement officials attempted illegally to deny him the presidency. Among voters who Strongly Disapprove of the president’s job performance, only nine percent (9%) agree."

The results come from interviews with 1,000 likely voters Dec. 12-15.

Rasmussen noted the Justice Department’s inspector general has concluded that former FBI Director James Comey improperly leaked information to the news media while he was serving as head of the FBI, and voters by a 47% to 35% margin think he should be criminally prosecuted.

"Seventy-seven percent (77%) say they have been closely following news reports about the inspector general’s investigation of the FBI, with 41% who have been following Very Closely. Among those following the news Very Closely, 55% think it’s Very Likely that senior law enforcement officials broke the law in an effort to get Trump."

By party, 71% of Republicans, 39% of Democrats and 46% of unaffiliated voters "suspect federal law enforcement officials of trying to prevent the Trump presidency. GOP voters are also the most likely to think they’ll be criminally charged."

Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz's report on abuse of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court to spy on former Trump campaign aide Carter Page pinpointed "17 examples" of how DOJ and FBI officials committed "basic and fundamental errors."

Three of the top FBI officials connected with the FISA warrant applications were subsequently fired or resigned: Comey, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and former Deputy Assistant Director in the Counterintelligence Division Peter Strzok.