Swamp: Trump ‘guilty,’ want on jury to convict
Paul Bedard
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A majority of District residents, from which a federal court could tap for a jury pool in Donald Trump’s expected trial on 2020 election interference charges, believe that the former president is guilty.
In a new survey, Emerson College Polling said that 64% of Washington’s residents would find Trump guilty, confirming the Trump team’s concern about bias against their client in the capital city.
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What’s more, those who are eager to be on a jury in a Trump case want to make sure he is convicted, said the poll analysis.
“It appears that those who are more impartial about the trial are less likely to want to serve on the jury,” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of the survey outfit. “Those who want to serve find Trump guilty rather than innocent 68% to 9% with 23% unsure, while those who don’t want to serve think Trump is guilty 60% to 6%, with 34% unsure,” added Kimball.
Trump faces at least four cases around the country. Special counsel Jack Smith has brought a case in Washington that charges Trump with inciting the Capitol riots.
The survey appears to show that the former president will be hard pressed to get an impartial jury in the city that is still offended by the riots, which many feel was an attack on democracy. The city is overwhelmingly liberal Democrat and voted for President Joe Biden over Trump 92% to 5%.
In the survey, Democratic voters said that Trump was guilty 69% to 5%. Some 53% of independents agree and Republicans were split, 36% guilty, 35% innocent and 30% unsure.
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And no matter their view, a conviction appears in the cards. “Republicans and Democrats are most likely to think Trump will be found guilty at 61% and 60% respectively, while independents are at 48%,” Kimball said.
When asked about how the jury will act, many said they were concerned that a jury will go easy on the former president. “Forty-nine percent are not concerned about the jury either being too harsh or easy, while 42% are concerned the jury will be too easy on Trump, and 8% are more concerned that the jury will be too harsh on Trump,” said the analysis.