A new study shows that the majority of American voters believe the NSA may have monitored the private communications of Congress, military leaders, and judges.

According to Rasmussen Reports, who published the poll, 72% of voters think it is "somewhat likely" that the NSA spied on these officials, violating "one of the country’s most cherished constitutional standards – the checks and balances between the three branches of government." 

This larger figure is divided in two—with 27% of those polled finding the action "somewhat likely" while 45% agree it is "very likely."  Only 14% of the participants disagreed, saying the possibility of the NSA acting in this way is "not likely."

Rasmusen adds that this data is especially significant considering that 57% of voters believe in the likelihood that the NSA data will be used by U.S. government agencies to harass political opponents.

President of the company Scott Rasmusen commented on the recent leaks, noting that "none of the public players comes off looking great in the NSA story."

1,000 people participated in the survey which was facilitated by Pulse Opinion Research.

Lucia Brown is a summer editorial intern at Common Dreams.

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