A majority of Americans thinks it is fair game to look into President Trump's finances as part of the investigation into Russian election meddling, according to a new survey.

A CNN poll conducted by SSRS found 70 percent of respondents think the Russia probe should include Trump's finances.

A majority, 60 percent, also says the Russia probe is a serious matter, compared to 38 percent who think it is an attempt to discredit the current president.

ADVERTISEMENT

Americans, by a 59 percent to 31 percent margin, do not approve of the way Trump is handling the investigation, pollsters found. The president has in the past decried the Russia probe as a "witch hunt" and dismissed it as an excuse by the Democrats for losing the presidential race.

The poll was conducted from Aug. 3 to 6 among 1,018 adults. The margin of error is 3.6 percentage points.

The Russia investigation, which is also examining possible collusion between Trump campaign associates and the Kremlin to influence the outcome of the presidential election, has expanded to focus on possible financial crimes, according to a CNN report earlier this month.

Some leads unrelated to Russia, but that involve people close to Trump, are reportedly being passed along to special counsel Robert Mueller to encourage cooperation.

The president in a New York Times interview last month said the special counsel would be crossing a line if he investigated his business transactions.