By — Matt Loffman Matt Loffman Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/impeachment-inquiry-unpopular-even-if-americans-question-bidens-actions Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Impeachment inquiry unpopular, even if Americans question Biden’s actions Nation Oct 4, 2023 5:02 AM EDT A narrow majority of Americans oppose the impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden launched by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, which seeks to investigate allegations of wrongdoing in connection with his son Hunter Biden’s business dealings. Fifty-two percent of U.S. adults disapprove of the probe, according to a new PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll, with most responses collected in the days leading up to the first House Oversight Committee hearing last Thursday. Another 47 percent support it. Voters are divided largely along party lines, with 81 percent of Democrats opposing the impeachment inquiry and 77 percent of Republicans supporting it. Just over half (52 percent) of independents support it. Republican lawmakers have been investigating Hunter Biden since they took control of the House in January. Republicans on the Oversight Committee tried to tie Hunter Biden’s business activities directly to his father during their presentation last Thursday. Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., alleged without presenting any evidence to support his claims that President Biden “abused his public office for his family’s financial gain” and “lied to the American people” about it. At the impeachment hearing, GOP committee members did not present evidence tying the president directly to any abuses of power or influence peddling. Witnesses called by the Republican majority also said there was not enough evidence to support impeachment at this time. The hearing focused largely on business transactions made by Hunter Biden and other members of the Biden family and their associates while Joe Biden served as vice president and in the years after. Republicans alleged that the Bidens created 20 shell companies and received payments from foreign sources in Ukraine and China, and one forensic accountant who testified questioned whether there was a “smokescreen” around the Bidens’ actions that could be used to cover up “illicit activities.” Despite GOP assertions, the American public is divided on the president and his son’s businesses. Thirty-eight percent of U.S. adults believe that President Biden has done something illegal. Another quarter say the president has done something unethical but not illegal, and one-third of Americans say the president has done nothing wrong. Republican voters, however, largely agree with their representatives. Two-thirds of GOP voters say the president has done something illegal. A plurality of independents – 43 percent – agree. But most Democratic voters are siding with the president, with 62 percent saying he has done nothing wrong and 71 percent supporting his re-election in 2024. In contrast, just 34 percent of all Americans say Joe Biden should be re-elected as president. Earlier in September, Special Counsel David Weiss indicted Hunter Biden on three federal firearms charges for allegedly lying about his drug use when he purchased a gun in 2018. He pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in a Delaware court Tuesday. The special counsel continues to investigate Hunter Biden’s business dealings and has indicated that additional tax charges may be filed in coming weeks. While the criminal and congressional probes continue, half of Americans believe Hunter Biden has done something illegal related to business conducted in Ukraine and China, according to the new PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll. Another 35 percent say he has done something unethical but not illegal. Just 12 percent think he’s done nothing wrong. A majority of Republicans and independents believe he’s done something illegal, and a majority of Democrats question Hunter Biden’s actions, with just half over half saying his actions are unethical. Congressional Democrats defended the president during the hearing and accused Republicans of using the impeachment inquiry to distract from former President Donald Trump’s legal troubles. Trump faces 91 felony charges in four separate criminal probes examining mishandling of classified information, hush money payments during his 2016 campaign and efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Trials are scheduled for early 2024, colliding with the Republican nominating calendar. WATCH: Iowa Republicans discuss role of politics in their lives, hopes for overcoming divisions Additionally, a New York judge ruled last week that the former president committed fraud when he consistently lied about the value of his assets in a case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James. The attorney general is seeking a $250 million penalty and to bar Trump and his sons from conducting business in the state. Trump appeared in court Monday for the start of the civil trial, which could last several months. He has attacked the attorney general and the judge when speaking with reporters this week outside the courtroom, saying James’ numbers are “fraudulent” and calling for the case to be dismissed. Three-quarters of Americans believe Trump’s actions are either illegal (49 percent) or unethical (26 percent), a consensus that has remained mostly unchanged in the last few months. Fewer than a quarter of Americans say Trump has done nothing wrong, but 44 percent of Republicans hold that view. Seventy-eight percent of Republican voters want Trump to return to the Oval Office, compared to just 39 percent of Americans overall. While Trump’s legal team tries to delay trial dates with the hopes of winning the 2024 election, the outcome of the ongoing legal cases will have only a marginal impact on his party’s opinion of him. Two-thirds of Republican voters say they still want Trump to be elected even if he’s found guilty of a crime. The PBS NewsHour, NPR and Marist Poll conducted a survey between Sept. 25 and Sept. 28 that polled 1,256 U.S. adults with a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points and 1,137 registered voters with a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points. By — Matt Loffman Matt Loffman Matt Loffman is the PBS NewsHour's Deputy Senior Politics Producer @mattloff
A narrow majority of Americans oppose the impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden launched by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, which seeks to investigate allegations of wrongdoing in connection with his son Hunter Biden’s business dealings. Fifty-two percent of U.S. adults disapprove of the probe, according to a new PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll, with most responses collected in the days leading up to the first House Oversight Committee hearing last Thursday. Another 47 percent support it. Voters are divided largely along party lines, with 81 percent of Democrats opposing the impeachment inquiry and 77 percent of Republicans supporting it. Just over half (52 percent) of independents support it. Republican lawmakers have been investigating Hunter Biden since they took control of the House in January. Republicans on the Oversight Committee tried to tie Hunter Biden’s business activities directly to his father during their presentation last Thursday. Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., alleged without presenting any evidence to support his claims that President Biden “abused his public office for his family’s financial gain” and “lied to the American people” about it. At the impeachment hearing, GOP committee members did not present evidence tying the president directly to any abuses of power or influence peddling. Witnesses called by the Republican majority also said there was not enough evidence to support impeachment at this time. The hearing focused largely on business transactions made by Hunter Biden and other members of the Biden family and their associates while Joe Biden served as vice president and in the years after. Republicans alleged that the Bidens created 20 shell companies and received payments from foreign sources in Ukraine and China, and one forensic accountant who testified questioned whether there was a “smokescreen” around the Bidens’ actions that could be used to cover up “illicit activities.” Despite GOP assertions, the American public is divided on the president and his son’s businesses. Thirty-eight percent of U.S. adults believe that President Biden has done something illegal. Another quarter say the president has done something unethical but not illegal, and one-third of Americans say the president has done nothing wrong. Republican voters, however, largely agree with their representatives. Two-thirds of GOP voters say the president has done something illegal. A plurality of independents – 43 percent – agree. But most Democratic voters are siding with the president, with 62 percent saying he has done nothing wrong and 71 percent supporting his re-election in 2024. In contrast, just 34 percent of all Americans say Joe Biden should be re-elected as president. Earlier in September, Special Counsel David Weiss indicted Hunter Biden on three federal firearms charges for allegedly lying about his drug use when he purchased a gun in 2018. He pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in a Delaware court Tuesday. The special counsel continues to investigate Hunter Biden’s business dealings and has indicated that additional tax charges may be filed in coming weeks. While the criminal and congressional probes continue, half of Americans believe Hunter Biden has done something illegal related to business conducted in Ukraine and China, according to the new PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll. Another 35 percent say he has done something unethical but not illegal. Just 12 percent think he’s done nothing wrong. A majority of Republicans and independents believe he’s done something illegal, and a majority of Democrats question Hunter Biden’s actions, with just half over half saying his actions are unethical. Congressional Democrats defended the president during the hearing and accused Republicans of using the impeachment inquiry to distract from former President Donald Trump’s legal troubles. Trump faces 91 felony charges in four separate criminal probes examining mishandling of classified information, hush money payments during his 2016 campaign and efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Trials are scheduled for early 2024, colliding with the Republican nominating calendar. WATCH: Iowa Republicans discuss role of politics in their lives, hopes for overcoming divisions Additionally, a New York judge ruled last week that the former president committed fraud when he consistently lied about the value of his assets in a case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James. The attorney general is seeking a $250 million penalty and to bar Trump and his sons from conducting business in the state. Trump appeared in court Monday for the start of the civil trial, which could last several months. He has attacked the attorney general and the judge when speaking with reporters this week outside the courtroom, saying James’ numbers are “fraudulent” and calling for the case to be dismissed. Three-quarters of Americans believe Trump’s actions are either illegal (49 percent) or unethical (26 percent), a consensus that has remained mostly unchanged in the last few months. Fewer than a quarter of Americans say Trump has done nothing wrong, but 44 percent of Republicans hold that view. Seventy-eight percent of Republican voters want Trump to return to the Oval Office, compared to just 39 percent of Americans overall. While Trump’s legal team tries to delay trial dates with the hopes of winning the 2024 election, the outcome of the ongoing legal cases will have only a marginal impact on his party’s opinion of him. Two-thirds of Republican voters say they still want Trump to be elected even if he’s found guilty of a crime. The PBS NewsHour, NPR and Marist Poll conducted a survey between Sept. 25 and Sept. 28 that polled 1,256 U.S. adults with a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points and 1,137 registered voters with a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points.