Jason Lange

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – More than half the U.S. Republicans support the false claim that left-wing protesters caused the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot in an attempt to discredit President Donald Trump, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.

This two-day poll was taken on Wednesday and highlighted Americans’ deep-rooted partisan perspective on the assault, ahead of highly publicized televised hearings that begin in Congress on Thursday.

Democratic-led investigation teams will present testimony from top Republican aides and relatives at the hearing to try to persuade Americans the riot was orchestrated against democracy.

According to Reuters/Ipsos, many Americans identify themselves as Republicans and have views that are contrary to those uncovered in the criminal investigation and congressional investigations.

According to U.S. Prosecutors, almost all the 840 arrested in the aftermath of the attack were Trump supporters. Christopher Wray, FBI Director, stated that there is no evidence leftist extremists disguised as Trump supporters.

A poll showed 58% Republicans believe most protesters are peaceful and obey the law. However, four people died in the attacks, 140 police officers were injured, and one Capitol Police Officer who was fighting the rioters perished the following day.

Two-thirds (or more) of Republicans think the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. This belief persists despite the fact that federal and state judges have dismissed over 50 suits brought by Trump or his allies to challenge the election, and reviews and audits finding no evidence of widespread fraud.

According to Reuters/Ipsos, the overwhelming majority of both party respondents thought that it was wrong for members of their parties to resort to violence in order to reach political ends. Violence was viewed as a political tool by one in ten people from each party.

This poll was done online in English throughout the United States. Between June 8 and 9, 1,004 adult respondents participated in the poll. A credibility interval is a measurement of precision and accuracy of approximately 4 percentage points was used in the poll.