Story highlights 56% of Americans think Trump's public statements on the Russia probe have been mostly or completely false

47% of Americans approve of Mueller's handling of the Russia probe vs. 34% who disapprove

(CNN) More Americans say they approve of how special counsel Robert Mueller is handling the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election than say they disapprove, a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS has found, while most Americans say President Donald Trump's public statements on the probe have not been truthful.

Nearly half of Americans, 47%, say they approve of Mueller's handling of the probe into Russia's involvement in the presidential race and the possibility of collusion with the Trump campaign, which recently struck a plea deal with former national security adviser Michael Flynn. One third of Americans, 34%, say they disapprove. Nearly 1 in 5 people, 19%, are undecided on Mueller's work so far.

But a majority of Americans say they disapprove of Trump's handling of the same investigation, while just a third say they approve — a result that has held fairly steady over the last five months of CNN surveys.

Approval on the Russia investigation for both Mueller and Trump is largely divided along party lines. More than 6 in 10 Democrats, 63%, say they approve of Mueller's handling of the probe, but more Republicans disapprove than approve by a 46% to 31%. A quarter of Republicans, 23%, say they don't know. Notably, a majority of Americans who approve of Trump's overall job performance, 53%, say they disapprove of Mueller's handling of the probe.

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