The findings — the first since Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to giving misleading statements about his contacts with a Russian official during the 2016 campaign — show Americans still deeply divided over the gravity of the inquiry into ties between the Trump team and Russia. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Poll: Two-thirds say Flynn guilty plea in Trump-Russia probe is a ‘serious matter’

Two in three voters say Michael Flynn’s pleading guilty to lying to the FBI and his cooperation with the special counsel’s Russia investigation is “a serious matter” for the Trump administration, according to a CBS poll released Wednesday.

The findings — the first since Flynn, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, pleaded guilty last Friday to giving misleading statements about his contacts with a Russian official during the 2016 campaign — show Americans still deeply divided over the gravity of the inquiry into ties between the Trump team and Russia.


Ninety-one percent of Democrats said Flynn’s plea was “a serious matter,” while only 34 percent of Republicans agreed. Two-thirds of independents characterized the move as serious.

More generally, a majority of those surveyed said they felt that it was “very” or “somewhat likely” that advisers for Trump had “improper dealings with Russia,” including more than 4 in 10 Republicans.

Those surveyed were widely split along partisan lines over whether the probe led by special counsel Robert Mueller was warranted, with 74 percent of Democrats calling it “justified” and 81 percent of Republicans saying it was “politically motivated.” Overall, 46 percent of voters felt the investigation was merited, while 48 saw it as a political ploy.

Trump addressed Flynn’s admission head-on earlier this week, accusing his presidential rival, Hillary Clinton, of committing similar infractions.

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“Well, I feel badly for Gen. Flynn,” the president told reporters on Monday. “I feel very badly. He’s led a very strong life, and I feel very badly. I will say this, Hillary Clinton lied many times to the FBI. Nothing happened to her. Flynn lied, and they destroyed his life. I think it’s a shame.”

While Clinton was interviewed by the FBI last July, former FBI Director James Comey later told the House Oversight Committee that she had not lied during her interactions with the bureau.

The CBS poll, which surveyed 1,120 adults via telephone from Dec. 3 to 5, had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

