Among all voters: 37% approve.
Inside the GOP, only Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Bill Cassidy criticized the language. Majority Leader John Thune said, "I wouldn't use that word, but the frustration is real."
On the Democratic side, Jeffries is fundraising off it — his campaign raised $1.4 million in 48 hours with the subject line "He called me a traitor."
Can you be prosecuted for calling someone a traitor?
No. Political hyperbole is protected by the First Amendment. The Supreme Court ruled in Watts v. United States (1969) that even "if they draft me, the first man I want in my sights is LBJ" was protected speech.
What is risky: Trump as president directing the DOJ to investigate. On April 21, Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Fox she had "opened a preliminary review" into whether leaks to Lloyd's List violated the Espionage Act. She did not name Schumer or Jeffries, but the implication was clear.
Legal experts say a prosecution would fail — leaking unclassified ship-tracking data is not treason — but the investigation itself is the punishment in an election year.
