Former FBI Director James Comey had a lower job approval rating than that of President Trump, according to a new poll.
The latest Harvard-Harris poll showed that 60 percent of voters disapproved of Comey's job at the FBI, with just 40 percent approved, the Hill first reported. In the same survey, Trump's job approval rating touched a new low, but at 45 percent. Trump's RealClearPolitics average rating stands at 14 points under water, with 40 percent approving and 54 percent disapproving.
Comey's favorability rating stood at 31 percent positive, compared to 39 percent negative, the International Business Times noted.
Moreover, 70 percent expressed disapproval over the way Comey probed Clinton's email scandal. His favorability rating was 31 percent positive compared to 39 percent negative, the Hill reported, citing poll results.
"The polling on Comey shows that President Trump is more in trouble for the way he fired Comey rather than for removing him," Mark Penn, co-director of the Harvard-Harris survey, told the news outlet.
Separately, Trump's job approval rating touched a new low in the poll, the Hill reported. According to the survey, the president’s job approval rating declined to 45 percent currently from 49 percent in March.
Trump fired Comey on May 9. The White House initially attributed the dismissal to a Justice Department recommendation based upon Comey's mishandling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation, but Trump later said he planned to fire Comey regardless of any recommendation.
The poll showed 54 percent of registered voters, including 63 percent of independents, disapproved of Trump firing Comey.
A majority of voters (59 percent) said in the poll that Trump fired Comey to put an end to the investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's ties to Russia, but 52 percent said they did not think there was collusion between Trump's campaign and the Russians during the 2016 election.
The New York Times reported that Trump told top Russian officials in the Oval Office that firing Comey eased "great pressure" on him.