Most Americans Support Judge's Decision On Jones' Lawsuit
WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, April 1) -- Nearly two-thirds of Americans support a judge's decision to toss out Paula Jones' lawsuit against President Bill Clinton and think the ruling was good for the country, according to a new CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll.
But by a 58-23 percent margin, people said they think something probably did occur between Clinton and Jones in a Little Rock hotel room, the survey found.
By a 63-25 percent margin, people surveyed think the judge made the right decision, and by a 63-24 percent margin, they think the decision was good for the country.
By a 67-31 percent margin, Americans believe the investigations into sexual allegations against Clinton should stop now, according to the new poll.
The results were based on interviews with 666 adults conducted Wednesday evening after the judge's ruling was made public. The poll has a margin of sampling error of +/- 4 percentage points.
Here are the numbers:
Decision To Dismiss Paula Jones Lawsuit |
Right decision Wrong decision |
|
63% 25% |
Was Decision Fair To Paula Jones? |
Yes No |
|
47% 37% |
Was Decision Good For the Country? |
Yes No |
|
63% 24% |
Did Something Happen Between Bill Clinton and Paula Jones? |
Yes No |
|
58% 23% |
People who thought something probably did occur were asked if the incident should be considered sexual harassment; 50 percent said it did, while 43 percent said it did not.
Did Bill Clinton Sexually Harass Paula Jones? |
Yes No |
|
29% 48% |
Public divided on other accusations
The public remains divided over accusations by former White House staffer Kathleen Willey, who claims Clinton groped her outside the Oval Office. Clinton has denied it.
Asked who they tended to believe more, 46 percent said Clinton and 40 percent said Willey, a margin not significantly different than last month.
Clinton's approval rating remains high, with two-thirds of Americans saying they approve of the way he is handling his job as president. That figure is essentially unchanged since mid-March.
Clinton Approval Rating |
Approve Disapprove |
|
67% 28% |
|