Most Republicans say it's OK for Trump to order DOJ probes of rivals, poll finds

Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald on Sep 24, 2025

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Most Republicans believe it is acceptable for President Donald Trump to instruct the Department of Justice to prosecute his political opponents, according to a new YouGov poll.

The survey — conducted Monday — comes after Trump urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against three of his rivals: Sen. Adam Schiff, former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

“Pam,” Trump wrote in a Sept. 20 Truth Social post, “I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, ‘same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, Leticia??? They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done.’”

“We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility,” he added. “They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”

Democrats quickly denounced the president’s directive.

“This is unlike anything we’ve ever seen,” Schiff, a California Democrat who led the first impeachment effort against Trump, said in an MSNBC interview. “Nixon had his enemies list, but it wasn’t so exhaustive and blatant as this … it’s an effort to try to silence and intimidate people.”

President instructing DOJ to investigate opponents

The poll — which sampled 3,260 U.S. adults — asked respondents whether or not it is generally acceptable “for a president to direct the Department of Justice to investigate the president’s political opponents.”

A majority, 54%, described this as unacceptable, while 21% said it is acceptable and 25% said they were not sure.

On this generic question, a sizable partisan rift emerged.

A plurality of Republicans, 38%, said it is permissible for the president to direct the nation’s chief law enforcement officer to investigate his political adversaries. Meanwhile, just 15% of independents and 10% of Democrats said the same.

The survey then asked specifically about Trump’s recent message to Bondi. It said, “Do you consider it to be acceptable or unacceptable for President Donald Trump to direct Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate his political opponents, including James Comey, Adam Schiff, and Letitia James?”

A slim majority, 51%, described this action as unacceptable, while 30% said it is acceptable and 19% said they were undecided.

This question exposed a yawning partisan divide.

Most Republicans, 60%, said it is reasonable for Trump to direct Bondi to probe his rivals. In contrast, 23% of independents and just 6% of Democrats agreed.

This rift may be explained, in part, by an additional question about former President Joe Biden.

Respondents were asked whether Biden ever instructed Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate the president’s political adversaries.

Thirty-two percent said he did not, while 28% said he did. A plurality, 40%, said they weren’t sure.

A majority of GOP respondents, 54%, said Biden had indeed directed the attorney general to prosecute his rivals. Significantly smaller shares of Democrats and independents — 5% and 24%, respectively — said the same.