Pres. Donald Trump (Screenshot)

A majority of likely U.S. voters want a Special Counsel to investigate whether senior FBI and Justice Department officials broke the law – as a majority believe they did – when they met and discussed ways to remove President Donald Trump from office in May of 2017, a new Rasmussen survey reveals.

Fifty-six (56%) say it’s likely the officials broke the law, 20 points higher than the 36% who believe it’s unlikely. What’s more, 37% of voters deem it “Very Likely” that the FBI and Justice officials broke the law, about double the 19% who call it “Not at All Likely.”

Question: How likely is it that senior federal law enforcement officials broke the law in their discussions to remove President Trump from office – very likely, somewhat likely, not very likely or not at all likely?

Likely: 56% (including 37% who say it’s Very Likely)

Unlikely: 36% (including 19% who call it Not at All Likely)

Slightly more than half (51%) say a special prosecutor should be appointed to look into the matter, while 38% call it unnecessary.

Question: Should a special prosecutor be named to investigate the discussions among senior Justice Department and FBI officials in May 2017 to remove President Trump from office?

Special Prosecutor: 51%

No: 38%

Undecided: 11%

Nearly two-thirds (64%) of likely voters polled said that the meeting to discuss removing Trump from office warrants some form of disciplinary action against the conspirators, ranging from incarceration (25%) and termination of employment (21%) to a formal rebuke (12%).

Question: What type of disciplinary action should be taken against senior federal law enforcement officials who discussed removing President Trump from office. Should they be jailed, fired, formally reprimanded, or should no disciplinary action be taken?

Fired: 21%

Jailed: 25%

Formal Reprisal: 12%

No Disciplinary Action: 36%

In its announcement of these latest survey findings, Rasmussen highlights results from its February 8 report showing that half of all voters believe senior federal law enforcement officials also illegally conspired to keep Trump becoming president:

By a 50% to 40% margin, voters think it’s likely senior federal law enforcement officials broke the law in an effort to prevent Trump from winning the presidency. 32% Very Likely, 25% Not at All Likely

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on February 17-18, 2019 by Rasmussen Reports. Read full Rasmussen Reports release here.