CNN's new poll has very little good news for Donald Trump on Russia

Make no mistake: It is a big deal that two-thirds of the country -- including majorities of Republicans, independents and Democrats -- all hope that the special counsel probe is over before November 6. And despite the fact that each of those groups almost certainly has their own reasons for wanting the probe to end, you can be sure Trump and his allies will seize on the 66% of Americans who say they want the investigation into Russian interference to end before the election as proof positive that public opinion has turned against Mueller and toward the President.

And that is where they would be making a major mistake. Because if you look at any question in the CNN poll -- other than the one about when people want the probe to end -- and you see piece after piece of evidence that Trump is losing the public relations war on Russia.

Consider:

55% disapprove of how Trump is handling the "investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election." Just 34% approve.47% approve of how Mueller is handling the probe as opposed to 39% who disapprove, an improvement from the 41% approve/29% disapprove in CNN's last poll in June.Almost six in 10 think Russia's attempted interference in the 2016 campaign is a "serious matter that should be fully investigated."56% think Trump has attempted to interfere in the investigation.Just more than one in three (37%) of respondents say Trump's public statements about the Russia probe have been completely or mostly true. By contrast, 56% believe what Trump has said about the investigation is either mostly or completely false.Almost 80% of Democrats say that the investigation into Russian interference will be either extremely or very important to their votes for Congress this fall.

To focus solely on the percentage of people who want the Mueller probe to end before the election then may well to miss the forest for the trees. (Which, of course, doesn't mean Trump will avoid doing so.)

Sure, some people -- mostly Republicans -- want the Mueller probe over because they believe, like Trump, that it is a "witch hunt" that should have never begun. But others may simply be sick of the whole thing and want some sort of closure before they have to make their minds up about which party should control the House and Senate in 2019. Partisan Democrats likely want the probe over because they either a) believe Trump or his associates to be guilty and want the satisfaction of that declaration or b) are concerned what unforeseen effects an ongoing special counsel investigation could have on what looks at the moment to be a very good election for their side.

It's not as simple as, "People want the investigation to end because Mueller has been taking too long already!" And that's doubly true when you consider the context provided by the rest of the poll.

It's clear that while a clear majority want Mueller to end this whole shebang before election day, majorities also disapprove of how Trump had handled himself in the investigation, think Trump has lied in the course of the probe and believe the President has sought to interfere in Mueller's inquiry. That's hardly any sort of endorsement -- ringing or otherwise -- of Trump's long-held position that the entire probe is a witch hunt for which he is entirely blameless and which is solely the result of disgruntled Democrats who can't get over losing what they believed to be a sure-thing election.

That is what the new CNN poll reveals: A public, yes, weary of the Mueller probe, but one also deeply unhappy with how the President of the United States has handled it. Don't be fooled into believing anything else.