Robert Mueller to testify publicly before House committees on July 17

The announcement came after the chairmen of the two panels issued a subpoena
compelling Mueller's testimony. 

June 25, 2019, 9:22 PM EDT / Updated June 25, 2019, 10:51 PM EDT

By Rebecca Shabad and Kristen Welker

WASHINGTON — Former special counsel Robert Mueller has agreed to testify in
public about his two-year Russia investigation at a hearing before the House
Intelligence Committee and Judiciary Committee on July 17. The announcement
came from the chairmen of the two panels, who issued a subpoena compelling
his testimony.

In a news release issued late Tuesday, Judiciary Committee Chairmen Jerrold
Nadler, D-N.Y., and Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif.,
said that Mueller had agreed to testify next month.

“Pursuant to subpoenas issued by the House Judiciary and House Permanent
Select Committee on Intelligence tonight, Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller
III has agreed to testify before both Committees on July 17 in open
session,” the chairmen said in a statement. 

“Americans have demanded to hear directly from the Special Counsel," the
statement said, "so they can understand what he and his team examined,
uncovered, and determined about Russia’s attack on our democracy, the Trump
campaign’s acceptance and use of that help, and President Trump and his
associates' obstruction of the investigation into that attack.”

The chairmen suggested in a letter to Mueller on Tuesday accompanying the
subpoena that they understand that Mueller may limit what he plans to share
with lawmakers, with Schiff and Nadler writing that they know “there are
certain sensitivities associated with your open testimony.”

“In particular, the Special Counsel’s Office referred several criminal
investigations to other offices at the Department of Justice, and certain
matters are ongoing. Your office, moreover, admirably limited public comment
while the Special Counsel’s Office’s work was ongoing. You have also
explained that you prefer for the Special Counsel’s Office’s written work to
speak for itself,” they wrote.

Mueller did not want to testify, but will respect the subpoena to testify in
open session, Schiff said on "The Rachel Maddow Show" Tuesday night on
MSNBC. Mueller's staff will speak to the committees in a closed session
after Mueller's public testimony.

"Clearly this is something, I think from his perspective as prosecutor, he
is reluctant to come, as a prosecutor normally would be," Schiff said. "But
as Bob Mueller was the first to point out in his own report, he did not make
a traditional prosecutorial judgement."

Congress did not feel it sufficient to rely only a written report without
the ability to ask follow-up questions, Schiff said, and believed that it
was appropriate for the House to flesh out questions, Schiff said.

"It seemed like such an obvious step, from my own point of view, if you're
going accept the role as special counsel in one of the most significant
investigations in modern history, you're going to have to expect that you're
going to be asked to come to testify before Congress," Schiff said.

Earlier this month,
<https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/nadler-confident-mueller-will-tes
tify-congress-prepared-issue-subpoena-n1014126> Nadler said he was
“confident” that Mueller would eventually testify before Congress. Ever
since the 448-page redacted report was released in April, lawmakers had been
in talks with Mueller so that he could testify before Congress publicly.
When
<https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/robert-mueller-make-pub
lic-statement-about-russia-probe-wednesday-n1011331> Mueller spoke publicly
for the first time about the Russia investigation in late May, he indicated
that he did not want to testify before Congress. “I hope and expect that
this is the only time that I will speak to you in this manner,” he said
then. 

“There has been discussion about an appearance before Congress. Any
testimony from this office will not go beyond our report. It contains our
findings and analysis and the reasons for the decisions we made,” he added.
“The work speaks for itself. The report is my testimony.”

Jay Sekulow, one of President Donald Trump’s attorneys, referenced those
comments from Mueller after the planned testimony was announced. Mueller
said his testimony was his report, Sekulow said. We expect that his
testimony will be his report.

Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani also seemed unconcerned, telling NBC News of
the former special counsel’s testimony, "who cares."

"I think his testimony is going to be just like his press conference,
totally useless with him repeating ‘I can’t make up my mind,’” Giuliani
said.

"Mueller said he put anything he was going to say in his report. So I have
no idea why he’s testifying," Giuliani said.

He also said he was not worried that the testimony would add to calls for
impeachment, saying "Mueller had his chance to make his case, and he
didn't," and "Bob Mueller is old news."

Trump, too, seemed to weigh in on the announcement, in a
<https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1143709133234954241> tweet
Tuesday night: “Presidential Harassment!” he wrote.

The forthcoming testimony by Mueller comes as
<https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/full-list-house-members-who-
favor-starting-trump-impeachment-inquiry-n1011981> those backing the
initiation of an impeachment inquiry of Trump continues to increase, with 76
Democrats in favor as well as one Republican.

EM         -> { Trump for 2020 }

On the 49th Parallel          

                 Thé Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja and Dr. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda is in
anarchy"
                    Kuungana Mulindwa Mawasiliano Kikundi
"Pamoja na Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja na Dk. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda ni
katika machafuko" 

 

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