WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Former special counsel Robert Mueller's testimony before two Democratic-controlled House committees on Wednesday has been described by some in the media as one of the most highly anticipated events in Washington.
However, the results of a new Reuters/Ipsos poll show few Americans actually plan to watch Mueller testify about the results of his investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and alleged obstruction of justice by President Donald Trump.
The poll found that just 28 percent of all U.S. adults plan to watch Mueller's testimony even though the major networks are pre-empting scheduled programming to air at least some of the hearings live.
Democrats are far more likely to watch the hearings, with 44 percent saying the plan to watch Mueller testify compared to just 18 percent of Republicans. About two in 10 independents said they would watch, Reuters noted.
Fifty-five percent of all U.S. adults view Mueller's congressional testimony as important, including 81 percent of Democrats and more than half of independents but just 31 percent of Republicans.
During a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday, Trump told reporters he would 'probably' not watch Mueller testify but may see 'a little bit of it.'
Trump reiterated his claim that Mueller's investigation found 'no collusion, no obstruction' even though the special counsel has stated his report did not make a final determination on whether the president obstructed justice.
Democrats are hoping Mueller's testimony before the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees will help lay the groundwork for impeachment proceedings against Trump.
Meanwhile, Republican members of the committees are expected to focus on Mueller's inability to find sufficient evidence to prove a Trump-Russia conspiracy.
The GOP lawmakers may also question Mueller about the origins of the investigation in an effort to back up claims the entire probe was a 'witch hunt' and a 'hoax.'
The results of the Reuters/Ipsos poll indicate most Americans will only see the 'highlights' of the hearings, suggesting their perception of Mueller's testimony could be influenced by the political slant of their favored news source.
The Reuters/Ipsos survey of 1,112 adults was conducted July 19th through 22nd and had a credibility interval, a measure of precision, of 6 percentage points.
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