But a majority feels her decision was based on the facts of the case
By Keating Holland/CNN
WASHINGTON (Dec. 3) -- Most Americans disagree with Attorney General Janet Reno's decision not to appoint independent counsels to investigate President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore, according to the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll.
But a majority of people surveyed give the attorney general the benefit of the doubt that her decision was based on the facts of the case. Only 39 percent of the public thinks that the main reason for her decision was to protect Clinton.
The public feels the same way about her decision in Gore's case by almost identical numbers.
Nonetheless, most Americans say she should have appointed an independent counsel to investigate both men.
Reno's standing with the public has not been hurt by her decision; a majority of the public has confidence in her ability to investigate future allegations about Clinton administration officials in an impartial manner. And her favorable rating, at 48 percent, is identical to her favorable rating in October.
Clinton and Gore's favorable ratings are also nearly identical to their last measure in October.
Only about one in six Americans currently believe that Clinton or Gore's fund-raising activities last year were illegal. That represents a slight drop from the number who said so in October.
The survey of 599 adult Americans was taken Tuesday and has a margin of error of +/-5 percentage points. All interviews were conducted after Reno's press conference announcing her decision on the independent counsels.
Favorable Ratings |
Clinton Gore Reno |
Favorable 61% 53 48 |
Unfavorable 33% 37 33 |
Reno Should Have Appointed Independent Counsel For... |
Clinton Gore |
52% 50 |
Main Reason For Reno's Decision on Clinton |
Facts in the case Protect Clinton |
51% 39 |
Main Reason For Reno's Decision on Gore |
Facts in the case Protect Gore |
52% 37 |
Reaction To Reno's Decision |
Outraged Unhappy Happy Delighted Indifferent |
10% 23 18 5 38 |
Has Clinton Administration Cooperated With Justice Department? |
Yes No |
48% 41 |
Should Congress Investigate Fund-Raising? |
Yes No |
58% 36 |
Clinton's Fund-Raising Activities |
Illegal Unethical Nothing wrong |
17% 46 31 |
Gore' Fund-raising Activities |
Illegal Unethical Nothing wrong |
18% 39 33 |
Reno's Ability To Impartially Investigate Clinton Officials? |
Confident Not confident |
54% 40 |
Other Polls:
President Clinton Is America's Most Admired Man (12/30/97)
Americans Support U.S. Role In Bosnia (12/22/97)
Reno Should Have Appointed Independent Counsel (12/3/97)
Americans Want Independant Counsel (11/24/97)
Virginia Exit Poll: Governor's Race (11/6/97)
New Jersey Exit Poll: Governor's Race (11/4/97)
New York City Exit Poll: Mayor's Race (11/4/97)
Clinton, Gore Approval Ratings Rise (10/30/97)
America's Leaders Like America's Course (10/13/97)
Americans Want Campaign Reform (9/29/97)
Bad, Good News For Gore (9/12/97)
Congress Returns With High Approval Rating (8/28/97)
More Americans Want Jones vs. Clinton Settled Out Of Court (8/14/97)
Credit For Balanced Budget Deal Goes To GOP (8/1/97)
Clinton, GOP Deserve Credit For Budget (7/28/97)
GOP Congress Out Of Touch, Favors Wealthy (6/30/97)
People Still Care About Washington Scandals (6/3/97)
High Court Correct On Jones Case (6/2/97)
Public Supports Budget Deal By 2-1 Margin (5/8/97)
Few Americans Volunteer Regularly (4/25/97)
Most Say No To Wheelchair In F.D.R. Memorial (4/24/97)
Clinton's Approval Suffering Little (4/21/97)
Majority Says Gingrich Loan 'Inappropriate' (4/18/97)
Clinton's Approval Rating Remains High (3/27/97)
Gore's Poll Numbers Dip (3/14/97)
WSJ/NBC Poll On Fund-Raising (3/13/97)
Is Clinton's Honeymoon Ending? (2/27/97)
Americans Are Split On Clinton's Fund-Raising Tactics (2/27/97)
For 2000, Powell's No. 1 With GOP Voters (2/21/97)
President's Approval Rating Stays At High Levels (2/8/97)
New Yorkers Strongly Support Pataki (2/7/97)
Public Confidence High In Clinton On Most Issues (2/7/97)
Clinton Rides High On Issues Public Cares About Most (2/3/97)
Clinton Approval Rating At All-Time High (1/16/97)
Polls - Campaign '96
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