When Jeff Sessions testified under oath before Congress in his nomination hearings, he denied having any contact with Russian officials during the presidential campaign. He lied. We now know that he had at least two discussions with Russian officials.
Republicans are trying to excuse those lies -- saying he made an honest mistake (55% to 18%). They want him to remain in his office as U.S. Attorney General (62% to 17%). But their opinion is not shared by the American people.
Nearly half of Americans (48%) believe he was intentionally trying to hide his collusion with the Russians from Congress (and from the American people), while only 29% believe he made an honest mistake -- a difference of 19 points. And that opinion is shared by both genders, all age groups, and all racial/ethnic groups.
And because he lied to Congress (while under oath), a healthy plurality (43%) now believe he should resign his post. Only 30% say he should not resign -- a significant difference of 13 points. Only one group (those over 65) believe he should stay in office.
It was bad enough that Sessions had a history of racism, but now that he has blatantly lied to Congress, the people no longer trust him to fairly execute the laws of this country. Far more believe he is unfit to serve as the nation's top law enforcement officer than believe he is fit. I agree with them. The leader of the Justice Department must be someone who can be trusted, and Sessions has shown he cannot be trusted.
The charts above were made from information in a recent Economist / YouGov Poll -- done on March 6th and 7th of a random national sample of 1,500 adults (including 1,359 registered voters), and has a 3.4 point margin of error.
