National surveys: Majority support for Trump impeachment inquiry

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A majority of Americans now support Congress' impeachment inquiry into conduct of President Donald Trump, a sharp uptick from surveys taken even a few weeks ago in September.

The inquiry, announced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, enjoys 55% support, according to an NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll released Wednesday. Twenty-four percent of those surveyed want Trump impeached and removed from office, while an additional 31% back the inquiry.

Just 39% of those surveyed want the 45th President to complete his term in office.

"What we're seeing in this poll is an openness and willingness to listen to new information: There's not a scintilla of good news for Donald Trump in this survey," said Republican pollster Bill McInturff, who helped conduct the survey.

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A Washington Post-Schar School poll, earlier this week, found 58% supported an impeachment inquiry, with Americans by a 49-48% margin wanting Trump impeached and removed from office.

A third national poll, by Quinnipiac University, found 53% majority support for the impeachment inquiry up 16% from a survey in late September. Asked if it's grounds for impeachment for a U.S. president to ask a foreign government's assistance in digging up dirt on an political opponent, a narrow majority agreed.

Fifty-one percent of those polled, and 92% of Democrats and 52% of Independents, agreed that the inquiry is a legitimate investigation: 43% termed it a witch hunt, including 88% of Republicans.

By a 45-49% margin, those surveyed by Quinnipiac opposed removing Trump from office.

"The country remains closely divided on whether to impeach and remove President Trump from office, and his base remains granite solid," Tim Malloy of Quinnipiac said in a statement.