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👀 Line already pretty lengthy for Mueller on Capitol Hill. Stick with me and @AndrewDesiderio for updates all day. 
NEW: Dems will work all day to get Mueller to say something that could hobble Donald Trump’s presidency. Republicans will try to wound his credibility. But Mueller won’t be an easy target. The latest, w/ @AndrewDesiderio politico.com/story/2019/07/…
Here’s the setup:
All committee members have binders containing the Mueller report. There are four seats behind Mueller “reserved for witness.”
Mueller will be facing this monitor, where members can call up excerpts of his report and other exhibits. There’s a document tantalizingly labeled “MuellerFinals” that’s waiting to be opened.
He’s here
A decent seat for some potential history.
Reps. Demings and Swalwell huddling. They’re the only two Dems on Judiciary who also get to grill Mueller a second time on the Intel Committee.
Rep. RASKIN just clasped Rep. Escobar’s hand and said reassuringly to a group of colleagues “keep calm.”
Mueller has taken his place in the hearing room.
Rep. MEADOWS., a top critic of the investigation and ally of President Trump is seated in the front row and closely behind Mueller.
Mueller staring stoically as Rep. COLLINS repeatedly empahsizes Trump's innocence and says he has questions about the origins of the FBI Russia investigation and says "baseless gossip" started the probe.
Mueller directly refutes Trump's claim of complete exoneration: "That is not what the report said."
Mueller says that "at the outset" his investigators agreed to follow the internal DOJ guidance that a president cannot be indicted and so determined not to make a decision on that.
Dems get what they wanted: "The president was not exculpated for the acts that he allegedly committed."
MUELLER says his invsetigation was not curtailed or hindered in any way.
Q: Are collusion and conspiracy synonymous?
MUELLER: No.
MUELLER: No.
This is important:
Mueller asserts that he had no conflicts of interest to prevent him from serving as special counsel.
Mueller describes his relationship with Comey as "business associates."
Mueller says he hadn't talked to Comey at least six months preceding his appointment as special counsel.
He says he won't discuss whether he anticpiated investigating Comey's firing when he was appointed as special counsel.
He says he won't discuss whether he anticpiated investigating Comey's firing when he was appointed as special counsel.
Mueller says he did not know that Peter Strzok hated Trump when he was hired and says he "acted swiftly" when he found out.
MUELLER says he considerd McGahn a credible witness.
Mueller empahsizes to Jordan tha the can't get into charging decisions. He also said he "can't get into" whether Mifsud is connected to Western intelligence of Russian intelligence.
