Nearly 2/3 of Americans say Trump indictment politically motivated

A sizeable majority of Americans appear skeptical of the Department of Justice's pursuit of criminal charges against former President Donald Trump, believing them to be politically motivated.

Nearly two-thirds, 62%, of Americans indicated that Special Counsel Jack Smith's case is primarily motivated by political concerns, according to a Quinnipiac survey. Just 34% believed the case is primarily motivated by the law.

Smith has pressed 37 criminal charges against Trump stemming from his alleged mishandling of classified materials. Trump has pleaded not guilty and asserted he maintained broad authority to declassify documents while president.

Opinions of the indictment vary starkly by political affiliation, with 91% of Republicans deeming the case a politically motivated affair, compared to just 28% of Democrats who had the same opinion. 65% of independents saw the case as mainly political.

Notably, demographic data also shed light on a key divide in opinion. While 59% of white respondents said the case was politically motivated, as did 52% of black respondents, Hispanics appeared to be an outlier, with 67% expressing that sentiment.

The sour perception of the case by that demographic could potentially prove beneficial to Trump during the jury selection process as the case is to be tried in Miami, which is home to a vibrant Latino community.

Conducted from June 15-19, the survey questioned 1,776 respondents and has a margin of error of +/- 2.3%.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.