Robert Mueller arrived on Capitol Hill Wednesday morning for the most highly anticipated hearings so far of this presidency, with the potential to reset the narrative about his two-year investigation into President Donald Trump.Follow along for updates below. 8:05 a.m.Former special counsel Robert Mueller has arrived on Capitol Hill to testify before two House panels about his Russia investigation.Mueller was flanked by police officers in the Rayburn House Office Building as he headed toward a hearing room Wednesday morning. Senior Mueller aide Aaron Zebley also was in the hearing room.Mueller is testifying before the House Judiciary Committee and the House intelligence committee.Mueller’s investigation shadowed Donald Trump’s presidency for nearly two years and officially concluded in March, when he submitted his 448-page report.The nation has heard the former special counsel speak only once, for nine minutes in May, since his 2017 appointment.Mueller has expressed his reluctance to testify and said he won’t go beyond what’s in his report.Trump has called Mueller’s investigation a “witch hunt.”___8:30 a.m.Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler opens the hearing with Mueller.___8:37 a.m. Nadler says his committee has “a responsibility to address” the evidence that former Mueller has uncovered in his Trump-Russia investigation.Opening a three-hour hearing, Nadler said there are themes to the hearing: “Responsibility, integrity, and accountability.”Nadler laid out the examples from Mueller’s report that committee members intend to focus on while questioning the reluctant former special counsel.Mueller wrote in the document that he could not exonerate President Donald Trump on obstruction of justice.He noted Trump’s directions to then-White House counsel Donald McGahn to have Mueller removed and, once that was made public, orders from Trump to McGahn to deny it happened.Nadler said “not even the president is above the law.”___8:40 a.m.Republican Rep. Doug Collins, the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, defended Trump’s attitude toward Robert Mueller’s investigation, saying “the president knew he was innocent.” Collins added: “This hearing is long overdue. We’ve had the truth for months — no American conspired to throw our elections. What we need today is to let that truth bring us confidence and closure.”8:43 a.m. Mueller is sworn into the House Judiciary Committee hearing.___8:45 a.m.Mueller delivers his opening statement to the committee.___8:50 a.m. Mueller opened his testimony by going over his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.He said his investigation found that the “Russian government interfered in our election in sweeping and systematic fashion.”Mueller said his testimony today will “necessarily be limited.” In his opening statement, he outlined his reasons for that:”First, public testimony could affect several ongoing matters. In some of these matters, court rules or judicial orders limit the disclosure of information to protect the fairness of the proceedings. And consistent with longstanding Justice Department policy, it would be inappropriate for me to comment in any way that could affect an ongoing matter.””Second, the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired with the Russian government in its election interference activities. We did not address ‘collusion,’ which is not a legal term. Rather, we focused on whether the evidence was sufficient to charge any member of the campaign with taking part in a criminal conspiracy. It was not.”Third, our investigation of efforts to obstruct the investigation and lie to investigators was of critical importance. Obstruction of justice strikes at the core of the government’s effort to find the truth and to hold wrongdoers accountable.”___8:52 a.m.Nadler begins his questioning of Mueller. Mueller dismisses President Trump’s claim of “total exoneration,” saying it’s not what his Russia report said.Mueller told lawmakers that investigators did not exonerate Trump of obstruction of justice. Mueller added it was “true” that Trump refused to sit for an interview, despite his team’s multiple attempts to secure the interview.8:57 a.m.Collins asks Mueller whether “collusion” and “conspiracy” are the same thing. Mueller testified that they weren’t the same, but Collins cited a part of the report that he thought was contradictory.On page 180 of volume one, the Mueller report said: “Collusion is not a specific offense or theory of liability found in the U.S. Code; nor is it a term of art in federal criminal law. To the contrary, even as defined in legal dictionaries, collusion is largely synonymous with conspiracy as that crime is set forth in the general federal conspiracy statute.”This part of the report was talking about collusion in the sense of corporate collusion, which is when companies conspire in an illegal fashion to help each other and hurt consumers.However, that is completely unrelated to “collusion with Russia,” which has been the colloquial term used over the past few years to discuss potential cooperation between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.___9:02 a.m.Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat from California asked Mueller if his investigation found that “the Russian government perceived it would benefit from one of the candidates winning.”Mueller said they did.She continued: “And which candidate would that be?”Mueller responded: “Well, it would be Trump.”___ 9:07 a.m. Rep. John Ratcliffe of Texas echoed an argument that former White House Special counsel Emmet Flood made to Attorney General William Barr after the release of the Mueller report.The criticism that the justice system’s standard of proof is not to prove innocence, but rather guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.___ 9:25 a.m. Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen asked former Special Counsel Robert Mueller about former Attorney General Jeff Session’s decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation.Mueller said it is true that his investigation found that Trump asked Sessions to un-recuse himself at least twice.
Robert Mueller arrived on Capitol Hill Wednesday morning for the most highly anticipated hearings so far of this presidency, with the potential to reset the narrative about his two-year investigation into President Donald Trump.
Follow along for updates below.
8:05 a.m.
Former special counsel Robert Mueller has arrived on Capitol Hill to testify before two House panels about his Russia investigation.
Mueller was flanked by police officers in the Rayburn House Office Building as he headed toward a hearing room Wednesday morning. Senior Mueller aide Aaron Zebley also was in the hearing room.
Mueller is testifying before the House Judiciary Committee and the House intelligence committee.
Mueller’s investigation shadowed Donald Trump’s presidency for nearly two years and officially concluded in March, when he submitted his 448-page report.
The nation has heard the former special counsel speak only once, for nine minutes in May, since his 2017 appointment.
Mueller has expressed his reluctance to testify and said he won’t go beyond what’s in his report.
Trump has called Mueller’s investigation a “witch hunt.”
___
8:30 a.m.
Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler opens the hearing with Mueller.
___
8:37 a.m.
Nadler says his committee has “a responsibility to address” the evidence that former Mueller has uncovered in his Trump-Russia investigation.
Opening a three-hour hearing, Nadler said there are themes to the hearing: “Responsibility, integrity, and accountability.”
Nadler laid out the examples from Mueller’s report that committee members intend to focus on while questioning the reluctant former special counsel.
Mueller wrote in the document that he could not exonerate President Donald Trump on obstruction of justice.
He noted Trump’s directions to then-White House counsel Donald McGahn to have Mueller removed and, once that was made public, orders from Trump to McGahn to deny it happened.
Nadler said “not even the president is above the law.”
___
8:40 a.m.
Republican Rep. Doug Collins, the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, defended Trump’s attitude toward Robert Mueller’s investigation, saying “the president knew he was innocent.”
Collins added: “This hearing is long overdue. We’ve had the truth for months — no American conspired to throw our elections. What we need today is to let that truth bring us confidence and closure.”
8:43 a.m.
Mueller is sworn into the House Judiciary Committee hearing.
___
8:45 a.m.
Mueller delivers his opening statement to the committee.
___
8:50 a.m.
Mueller opened his testimony by going over his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
He said his investigation found that the “Russian government interfered in our election in sweeping and systematic fashion.”
Mueller said his testimony today will “necessarily be limited.” In his opening statement, he outlined his reasons for that:
“First, public testimony could affect several ongoing matters. In some of these matters, court rules or judicial orders limit the disclosure of information to protect the fairness of the proceedings. And consistent with longstanding Justice Department policy, it would be inappropriate for me to comment in any way that could affect an ongoing matter.”
“Second, the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired with the Russian government in its election interference activities. We did not address ‘collusion,’ which is not a legal term. Rather, we focused on whether the evidence was sufficient to charge any member of the campaign with taking part in a criminal conspiracy. It was not.
“Third, our investigation of efforts to obstruct the investigation and lie to investigators was of critical importance. Obstruction of justice strikes at the core of the government’s effort to find the truth and to hold wrongdoers accountable.”
___
8:52 a.m.
Nadler begins his questioning of Mueller.
Mueller dismisses President Trump’s claim of “total exoneration,” saying it’s not what his Russia report said.
Mueller told lawmakers that investigators did not exonerate Trump of obstruction of justice. Mueller added it was “true” that Trump refused to sit for an interview, despite his team’s multiple attempts to secure the interview.
8:57 a.m.
Collins asks Mueller whether “collusion” and “conspiracy” are the same thing. Mueller testified that they weren’t the same, but Collins cited a part of the report that he thought was contradictory.
On page 180 of volume one, the Mueller report said: “Collusion is not a specific offense or theory of liability found in the U.S. Code; nor is it a term of art in federal criminal law. To the contrary, even as defined in legal dictionaries, collusion is largely synonymous with conspiracy as that crime is set forth in the general federal conspiracy statute.”
This part of the report was talking about collusion in the sense of corporate collusion, which is when companies conspire in an illegal fashion to help each other and hurt consumers.
However, that is completely unrelated to “collusion with Russia,” which has been the colloquial term used over the past few years to discuss potential cooperation between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.
___
9:02 a.m.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat from California asked Mueller if his investigation found that “the Russian government perceived it would benefit from one of the candidates winning.”
Mueller said they did.
She continued: “And which candidate would that be?”
Mueller responded: “Well, it would be Trump.”
___
9:07 a.m.
Rep. John Ratcliffe of Texas echoed an argument that former White House Special counsel Emmet Flood made to Attorney General William Barr after the release of the Mueller report.
The criticism that the justice system’s standard of proof is not to prove innocence, but rather guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
___
9:25 a.m.
Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen asked former Special Counsel Robert Mueller about former Attorney General Jeff Session’s decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation.
Mueller said it is true that his investigation found that Trump asked Sessions to un-recuse himself at least twice.
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