More voters heard Elon Musk voted Republican than about judge’s takedown of Trump at Jan 6 hearings: poll

Retired federal judge Michael Luttig warned former vice president Mike Pence against plans to overturn 2020 election result

Gino Spocchia
Wednesday 22 June 2022 21:25 BST
Comments
Related video: Jan 6 mob chant ‘Pence has betrayed the United States’ in shocking footage

Your support helps us to tell the story

As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.

Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.

Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election

Head shot of Andrew Feinberg

Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

More Americans have heard about Elon Musk’s pledge to vote Republican than have heard about retired federal judge Michael Luttig’s takedown of Donald Trump during the January 6 hearings, a poll has found.

The poll, which was carried out following last week’s initial televised January 6 hearings, suggests some of the damning revelations aired by witnesses have not been noticed by the American public.

Only 38 per cent of voters polled by Morning Consult and Politico had heard about the powerful testimony given by Mr Luttig during last Thursday’s committee hearing, the polling companies said.

More than a third of voters, or 42 per cent, had heard about the SpaceX founder’s latest comments about voting Republican at upcoming elections, however.

Mr Luttig warned during his appearance at the January 6 hearing last week  that declaring “Trump as the next president would have plunged America into what I believe would have been tantamount to a revolution within a constitutional crisis in America.”

He also described a plan by Trump lawyer John Eastman to appoint alternative pro-Trump state electors as “incorrect at every turn” and that he advised former vice president Mike Pence to reject Mr Trump’s calls to follow Mr Eastman’s plan.

“It is breathtaking that these arguments even were conceived, let alone entertained by the President of the United States at that perilous moment in history,” Mr Luttig said in his statement to the committee.

Mr Trump and his allies in the Republican party were also called “a clear and present danger to American democracy” by the retired judge, who warned of attempts to overturn the 2024 presidential election if it does not fall their way.

“I don’t speak to those words lightly, I would’ve never spoken those words ever in my life except that’s what a former president and his allies are telling us,” Mr Luttig said. “The president and his allies are executing that blueprint for 2024 in plainview of the American public”.

Still, the Morning Consult-Politico poll found that 62 per cent of American voters had heard “not much” or “nothing at all” about Mr Luttig’s testimony, compared to 58 per cent for Mr Musk’s pledge to vote Republican.

The Tesla boss recently revealed that he would vote for Trump-ally and Florida governor Ron DeSantis if he holds the Republican nomination in 2014 – presumably in the case that the former president does not run.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in