A majority of Americans say senators should oppose William Barr's attorney general nomination unless he makes specific comments about protecting special counsel Robert Mueller Robert (Bob) MuellerCNN's Toobin warns McCabe is in 'perilous condition' with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting The Hill's 12:30 Report: New Hampshire fallout MORE's investigation.

A poll conducted by left-leaning Public Policy Polling, obtained by The Hill ahead of its release, found that 53 percent of respondents believe their senator should vote against Barr's nomination unless he makes a “public commitment” that he will let Mueller publicly release his findings, compared to 36 percent who said they should vote to confirm him regardless.

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Fifty-eight percent said their senator should oppose Barr's nomination if he doesn't make specific public commitments that he will let Mueller “follow the facts and complete the investigation without any interference,” compared to 33 percent who said their senator should vote to confirm him even if he does not.

In both instances, more than 60 percent of independent voters polled say they believe their senator should oppose Barr unless he makes the public commitments.

The poll, which was conducted on behalf of Law Works, included telephone interviews with 782 registered voters. It has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.

Law Works’s Kevin McAlister said senators should use the hearings to get “specific commitments” from Barr.

“Cracks are beginning to form between Republican voters and the president on the substance of the investigation and Barr’s role overseeing it. Vague assurances from Barr aren’t enough — the public is looking for specific public commitments that Barr will allow Mueller’s findings to be released publicly,” he added.

The poll comes as Barr is facing a two-day grilling before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week, where Mueller's investigation is expected to be front and center. He previously wrote, according to a Wall Street Journal report, an unsolicited memo to the Trump administration saying the Mueller investigation was based on a “fatally misconceived” theory and that it would do “lasting damage” to the presidency.

Barr is trying to defuse tensions over Mueller's investigation before the public hearing. He's expected to tell senators, according to advanced remarks released on Monday, that he believes it is in the “best interest of everyone” to allow the probe to finish and that he will make as much of Mueller’s final report public “as I can consistent with the law.”

The hearing comes as tensions on the Russia investigation are already running high. The New York Times reported over the weekend that the FBI launched an inquiry into whether Trump was working for Russia shortly after he fired then-FBI Director James Comey in 2017.

The bureau, according to the Times, investigated whether the president was a threat to national security or was carrying out an anti-American agenda on behalf of Russia.

Trump has renewed his attacks on Comey, who the president has said he fired because of the Russia investigation in the wake of the report. Trump, in a string of tweets, called the day of Comey’s firing a “great day for America,” referring to the former FBI director as a “crooked cop.”

“Funny thing about James Comey James Brien ComeyTrump jabs at FBI director over testimony on Russia, antifa Graham: Comey to testify about FBI's Russia probe, Mueller declined invitation Barr criticizes DOJ in speech declaring all agency power 'is invested in the attorney general' MORE. Everybody wanted him fired, Republican and Democrat alike. After the rigged & botched Crooked Hillary investigation,” Trump added.

The Public Policy Polling poll was conducted between Jan. 10-11, before the Times report was published.