Poll: Majority think Trump should testify in Russia probe if asked

An overwhelming majority of Americans think that President Trump should testify in special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election if he is asked, a new poll finds.

Nearly eight in 10 Americans, 78 percent, say Trump should testify under oath in the probe if he is asked to do so, according to a CNN poll released Tuesday. Another 18 percent said Trump should not testify if he is asked.

A majority of Americans in each political category said Trump should testify if asked, including 59 percent of Republicans, 95 percent of Democrats and 75 percent of independents.

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Two sources familiar with the Russia investigation told The Washington Post on Tuesday that Mueller wants to question Trump on his firing of former FBI Director James Comey and former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who Mueller charged in December with lying to the FBI about his Russia contacts.

The president’s legal team could present the prosecutors with the terms under which he would testify as early as next week, the Post reported.

A slight majority of Americans in the CNN poll, 51 percent, said they thought Trump had attempted to interfere with the federal Russia probe, while 41 percent said they did not think he had tried to interfere.

The Justice Department confirmed Tuesday that Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a former campaign adviser to the president, was interviewed by Mueller’s team last week, making him the first known Cabinet official to interview with investigators.