Even more revealing is the wording used in the poll, which actually came in the form of a statement that read:

"Roger Stone, an adviser to former President Donald Trump, has said there is 'a group of politicized thugs at the top of the FBI who are using the FBI … as Joe Biden's personal Gestapo.'"

A startling 46% of respondents said they "agree" with this statement, which included 29% who say they "strongly agree" with a characterization of the nation's top law-enforcement agency as a totalitarian tool. Remember that the Gestapo was Hitler's secret police force. The opposing numbers in the poll are equally encouraging: Only 38% disagreed with the statement. Even 30% of Democrats hold an unfavorable view of these rogues.

Voters tend to shy away from such inflammatory descriptions of government agents, especially since September 11, 2001, when "law enforcement" became the country's new religion. But in this poll, respondents didn't hesitate to point fingers right at the top: 50% said FBI director Christopher Wray lacks independence and "in his decision making" is more likely to defer to the president.

Half the country sees the FBI as a group of jackbooted thugs acting personally on behalf of the president, which helps to explain why the number of Americans who support violence against the government is rising. A recent Washington Post/University of Maryland poll found that just over a third, 34%, believe "violent action against the government" is "justified," up from just 16% in 2010, more than a doubling in twelve years. The obverse of this poll also reveals how far things have come: 62% said violence is "never justified," down from 90% in the 1990s.