“It’s problematic — is an understatement, in terms of what it displays in terms of giving some hope or some boost to what is and should be illegal activity,” Mr. Mueller responded.
Mueller shot down the president’s assertion within minutes of the first hearing, when he was asked by the House judiciary committee chairman, Jerry Nadler, if the special counsel had cleared Trump of wrongdoing. As the Intelligence Committee hearing drew to a close, Mr. Mueller became increasingly stark in his warnings about Russia’s attack on the 2016 presidential election, and how future efforts could roil American politics. Whatever the answer, this hearing will only keep Mueller and the Trump-Russia probe in the news cycle for weeks to come. Lindsey Graham once said he had no interest in hearing from Robert Mueller. “Absolutely, it was not a hoax,” Mr. Mueller said, adding that the indictments his team brought related to Russia’s interference were “substantial” and had been “underplayed, to a certain extent.”. Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed “total exoneration” – despite Mueller’s report explicitly stating otherwise.
“By doing that, you managed to violate every principle in the most sacred of traditions about prosecutors not offering extra prosecutorial analysis about potential crimes that aren’t charged.”. Mueller responded to questions surrounding the Russian interference piece of his investigation with more facility and ease than he did the obstruction piece, suggesting the former was where he was personally more focused throughout the probe and in its aftermath. But the larger problem with Mueller’s case was neatly summed up in his exchange with Republican Representative Guy Reschenthaler of Pennsylvania. opinions. Again and again, Mueller passed up the chance to utter anything that might approach a riveting sound bite, much less a bold headline. "Mueller: "Yes." Mueller was also asked if he subpoenaed Donald Jr, who was at the center of the infamous June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower in New York. Mueller warned once again of the “sweeping and systematic” way in which Russia meddled in the 2016 US election. Its homepage screamed, “Democrats Trumped Again. Mr. Mueller, for his part, defended his work and sought to drive home to lawmakers and the public the grave implications of his report, which laid bare that Mr. Trump was elected with Russia’s help and cataloged the president’s frantic efforts to undermine the investigation into Moscow’s election interference. “They’re doing it as we sit here.”. “The finding indicates that the president was not exculpated for the acts that he allegedly committed,” Mueller said. For most of the hearing, the former special counsel’s favorite answers were “yes,” “no,” “true,” “generally,” “I can’t get into that,” and “I’m not going to comment.” CNN’s Evan Perez calculated that he declined to answer a question at all 206 times. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. That includes a Justice Department inspector general report that documented serious errors and abuses as part of the warrant application process for a former Trump campaign adviser. They are doing it as we sit here. Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller waits to testify before the House Intelligence Committee on July 24, 2019. He didn’t make the decision to set up his job,” Grassley added of Mueller. “The Russian government’s effort to interfere in our election is among the most serious.”. But Mueller’s testimony nevertheless gathered a certain quiet force as the day wore on, first before the House Judiciary Committee and then the Intelligence Committee, whose chairman, Representative Adam Schiff of California, had the last word and sought to have Mueller help “broaden the aperture” at the hearings’ end.
Robert Mueller is sworn in for his testimony before Congress on July 24, 2019. Rather we focused on whether the evidence was sufficient to charge any member of the campaign with taking part in a criminal conspiracy — and it was not. Yet all along, the substantive punch of Mueller’s report has been muted by public and media focus on performance and optics—on how Mueller’s work is perceived, not on what it actually says: first, when Attorney General William Barr preempted the report’s official release with his own skewed and selective summary of its findings; again when Mueller felt moved to read his own statement to the public summarizing it; and finally during his testimony this week.
“I think that’s amazing.”, That drew a rare challenge from Mr. Mueller, who said quietly, “I’m not sure I agree with your characterization.”, As the temperature rose in the hearing room, the president’s inner circle also sought to discredit Mr. Mueller.
Was it obstruction? “Was that, was that, excuse me. “True,” Mueller agreed. “No matter what this current attorney general and the president of the United States try to say, the American people are smart enough to know what is and what is not truth,” she added.
He declined repeatedly to offer his opinion on key questions or even to read directly from the voluminous document. Trump repeatedly tried to impede the Russia probe, Mueller report said. “I would think for people who are trafficking in these conspiracy theories and these unfounded allegations about Mueller, the risk is that he’ll be forceful and clear, and demonstrate that it was a well-predicated investigation,” Coons said in a brief interview. Instead, it was mostly Mueller providing a lot of repetitive, one-word answers, Democrats trying to methodically lay out a case for impeachment, Republicans trying to deliver viral moments with a lot of yelling, and a whole lot of talk about how big of a threat Russia really was — and still is. Negotiating with Mueller a second time won’t be any easier, and Graham said his staff isn’t yet in contact with Mueller or his team. Representatives Adam Schiff, left, and Devin Nunes at the hearing today. The Democrats chose a prosecutorial and straightforward style, purposely refraining from fireworks. [Who is Aaron Zebley, the aide sitting beside Mr. ], Mr. Mueller said little about his decision not to compel the president to sit for an in-person interview during his investigation, telling lawmakers he opted against issuing a subpoena for Mr. Trump in order to “expedite” the probe. The performance drew concern from some Democrats. Breitbart News? It’s almost like the Democrats prepared arguments accusing Mr. Barr of hiding the report and didn’t bother to update their claims once he published the entire thing. Rep. Louie Gohmert to Robert Mueller: "What he's doing is not obstructing justice.