Mueller to testify publicly on Capitol Hill
WASHINGTON — Robert Mueller, the special counsel, will testify publicly before Congress on July 17 about his investigation into Russia’s election interference and possible obstruction of justice by President Donald Trump, House Democrats announced Tuesday night.
Coming nearly three months after the release of Mueller’s report, the back-to-back hearings before the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees promise to be must-see television and hold the potential to reshape the political landscape around Trump’s presidency and a possible impeachment by the House.
Mueller, who has spoken publicly only once about his work, resisted taking the witness stand, where he will face questions both from Democrats eager to employ him to build a case against Trump and Republicans eager to vindicate the president’s innocence.
In the end, the two committees were forced to issue subpoenas compelling Mueller to appear.
The chairmen of the panels, Reps. Jerrold Nadler of New York and Adam Schiff of California, wrote in a letter to Mueller on Tuesday that they understood he had reservations about appearing on Capitol Hill, but they were insistent he do so anyway.
“The American public deserves to hear directly from you about your investigation and conclusions,” the chairmen wrote. “We will work with you to address legitimate concerns about preserving the integrity of your work, but we expect that you will appear before our committees as scheduled.”
The White House declined to comment Tuesday night.
Schiff told reporters shortly after the announcement that he expected his committee to meet privately with members of Mueller’s staff after his testimony to answer additional questions.
The committee leaders have been under intense pressure from Democratic activists and their own rank-and-file members alike to secure an appearance by Mueller.
Nadler and Schiff initially invited the special counsel to testify voluntarily in April, but discussions proved thorny and protracted. Mueller and his team of prosecutors wanted to avoid a public spectacle, asked to limit his remarks to closed sessions with lawmakers and insisted that their 448-page report would best speak for itself.
Republicans in the House welcomed the news. They are likely to press Mueller not just on those bottom-line conclusions but also on the composition of his team — which Trump has dismissed as a group of “angry Democrats”— and what they argue are possible irregularities and government abuses around the origins of the FBI Russia investigation that Mueller inherited.
As of now, it does not appear that Mueller will participate in a hearing before the Republicancontrolled Senate, where lawmakers in the majority were less insistent he appear.