Thread by @jentaub

☕️ Here we go. The Mueller Hearing begins. Judiciary Committee Chair Nadler gavels in at 8:33 am. He praises Robert Mueller's background and convictions he achieved. Cost of investigation "approaches zero" given the forfeitures from Manafort.

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Now Nadler is summarizing Volume II of the report. "Among the most shocking" of the obstruction incidents is Trump ordering his White House counsel to fire Mueller.

Said "any other person who acted in this way would be charged with crimes."

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Nadler reads from the report where Mueller suggests Congress could take this evidence and begin an impeachment hearing.

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Next up is Ranking Member Collins. Mueller is listening intently at the opening remarks. Collins emphasize Russian interference. Says the report concludes that no one on the President's campaign "colluded, conspired, or collaborated" with Russians

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Now Collins is saying that because the president "did not shut down the investigation" even though he "knew he was innocent" means there was no obstruction.

Collins pivots to wanting to hear about how the FBI investigation began with "baseless gossip."

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Collins is now saying the investigation is a waste of time it "paralyzed this committee and this House." Now complaining that he has to be away from his kids, and now these "endless hearings" are happening and "border is on fire."

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It's Mueller Time. Nadler is introducing him. He is sworn in

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Mueller begins by talking about the assignment to his role as special counsel in May 2017. Wanted public have confidence in the outcome.

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Discusses mandate and goals. To investigate Russian interference with election and links to the Trump Campaign

Wanted to do work as thoroughly and quickly as possible. Conducted fairly and with absolute integrity.

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Mueller noted that he charged more than 30 defendants. Seven have been convicted or pleaded guilty.

Now discussing the report.

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Three key points to highlight. Russian government interfered in our election in sweeping fashion

"We did not address collusion, which is not a legal term" instead looked at to whether evidence was sufficient to establish conspiracy. It wasn't

Also investigated obstruction.

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Referring specifically to volume II. Mueller said due to fairness and DOJ policy they decided that they could not make a decision as to whether to indict the president.

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Mueller addresses the problems with a prosecutor testifying when there are ongoing matters. He won't be able to answer questions about matters of public interest. He won't address the opening of the investigation or the Steele Dossier as they are "subject to ongoing review"

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"Our report contains our findings and our analysis and the reasons for the decisions we made." Results of a two year investigation. "We scrutinized every word" of this carefully drafted report. "The report is my testimony and I will stay within that text."

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He won't comment on the actions of Attorney General Barr or the Congress. He is a prosecutor.

Now Mueller mentions Aaron Zebley. Responsible for day-to-day oversight of investigation conducted by office. Before that, he worked as Mueller's chief of staff when he led FBI

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Mueller thanks his staff.

"Russian government's effort to interfere with our election . . deserves the attention of every American."

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BOOM!

Nadler asks: The President said the report concluded no obstruction. The report doesn't say that, correct?

Mueller: "Right. That is not what the report said."

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Nadler: Did you actually totally exonerate the president.

Mueller: No.

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Nadler asks whether you found multiple times he obstructed justice.

Mueller said yes

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Nadler: Did President seek to use his official power outside normal channels to assert undue influence over your investigations

Mueller: "That's correct"

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Nadler: Is it correct that if you concluded president committed crime of obstruction, you could not publcly state it in report today or in report

Mueller: OLC opinion means could not indict a sitting president

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Nadler: But a president could be indicted after leaving office

Mueller: True

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Nadler: Did the president refuse to be interviewed by your team (even though vital to the public)

Mueller: Yes and Yes

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Nadler is kicking it here. Amazing

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Question nows from ranking Member Collins.

Collins: Is it true that President was not involved in Russian interference

Mueller: Insufficient evidence of President's culpability

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Collins wants to use the word "collusion." In public context collusion and conspiracy essentially synonymous terms?

Mueller: No.

[Bravo Mueller].

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Collins is trying to corner Mueller into saying that collusion and conspiracy are synonymous.

Mueller: [Looks at actual language on page 180]. He says, I leave it with the report.

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Next Congressman Lofgren asks to what extent did Russian government interfere with the US election.

Mueller responded focused on computer crimes

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Now Lofgren is discussing Manafort sharing internal Trump campaign polling data with Kilimnik

Mueller: Accurate

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Lofgren said this included battleground states Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania

Mueller: That's correct

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How did Russian's use that polling data?

Mueller: "That's a little bit out of our path."

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Lofgren. Who did the Russians want to become president.

Mueller: That would be Trimp. Trump. The president.

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Logren. We counted 126 contacts between Russians and agents and Trump campaign associates.

Mueller: While he couldn't confirm the number he said, "I understand the statistic."

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Lofgren: Russians wanted trump to win and went on a sweeping cyber campaign. Hacked. Trump campaign met with Russians and gave polling data. "While Russians were buying ads and spreading propoganda" armed with data stolen from DNC and given by Trump campaign (manafort).

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The next questioning with five minutes is Republican Ratcliffe from Texas.

Discussing page 2 of volume II.

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Ratcliffe said what DOJ policy or principle sets forth a legal standard that an investigated person is not exonerated because innocence was not conclusively determined

Mueller: I cannot, but this is unique.

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Ratcliffe said it was not his job to "conclusively determine his innocence or exonerate him." Said everyone including sitting presidents are entitled to a presumption of innocence. Called it "an inverted burden of proof."

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Ratcliffe said report was supposed to contain prosecution and declination decisions in volume II with respect to potential obstruction of justice.

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Ratcliffe is shouting at him now, interspersed with the word "respectfully." "You didn't follow the special counsel regulations." 180 pages about potential crimes that were not charge.

Said volume II was not authorized.

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Mueller does not respond to that. Hope he will at some point

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Congresswoman Lee is going to ask questions about volume II.

"Sufficient factual and legal basis to further investigation potential obstruction of justice issues involving the president."

Mueller: Yes

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Lee mentions the table of contents and puts in on the screen showing the ten acts of obstruction "ranged from efforts to remove the Special Counsel . . etc." Is that correct?

Mueller: Yes.

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Lee: Do you have to investigate all conduct to determine true motive?

Mueller: No.

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Lee: For each of the 10 incidents. You examine three elements (1) obstructive act; (2) nexus to an official proceeding; and (3) obstruct intent

Mueller: Correct

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Huge. Lee gets him to reaffirm that even personal embarrassment can be a corrupt intent.

Mueller: Yes

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Lee: Is it correct that obstruction can be motivated by even non-criminal personal interests including including "Avoid personal embarrassment"

Mueller: Yes

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Lee: Does a conviction for obstruction warrant a lot of time in jail

Mueller: Yes

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Here we go with Rep. Sensenbrenner. Seems like they are all singing the same tune. He is reading from the special counsel statute. They are all going to argue that he was required to come to a prosecutorial or declination judgment.

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Sensenbrenner: Why do we have investigation of Trump if you knew you weren't going to prosecute him.

Mueller: OLC opinion itself says you can continue the investigation even though you cannot indict him while sitting

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Sensenbrenner: Said there's 182 pages of material and listing many people who were not cross-examined . .

Mueller: Said, he is declining to discuss. Directs him to report

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Sensenbrenner: You did not use word "impeachable conduct." Is there nothing in volume II that says president may have engaged in impeachable conduct

Mueller: We have kept in the center of our investigation the center of our mandate. Our mandate goes to developing the report

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Rep. Cohen is up. Asks how did Trump react to his appointment.

Mueller directed him to the report.

Cohen: Reads the "I'm F'd" quote.

Mueller: I am not certain of the person who originally copied that quote.

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Cohen: When Sessions recused, wasn't he following advice of ethics folks at DOJ?

Mueller: Yes.

Cohen: Didn't Trump criticize Sessions for recusing

Mueller: Yes

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Cohen: Lots of questions about Trump yelling at Sessions and asking him to unrecuse himself include calling him at his home.

Mueller: That is true

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Cohen did Trump say to Sessions "You were supposed to protect me, or words to that affect."

Mueller: Correct

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Boom.

Cohen asks if Sessions was supposed to be the Attorney General of the United States or the consigliere for the President.

Mueller: Attorney General for the United States

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Rep. Chabot, Republican from Ohio is talking about how democrats want impeachment. Say "that's what this is really about today"

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Chabot: Asked about Fusion GPS

Mueller: I'm not familiar with that

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Chabot wants to ask about the Steele Dossier and Glenn Simpson.

Mueller: That's outside my perview and it's being handled in the department by others

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Chabot is woefully underprepared. He keeps mispronouncing Natalia Veselnitskaya's last name. And he keeps asking about Fusion GPS even though Mueller keeps saying that was "outside my purview."

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Rep. Johnson Georgia democrat has five minutes. Gets Mueller to confirm that President asked Don McGahn to fire him and alleged Mueller had conflicts of interest. Further confirmed that DOJ decided Mueller had no conflicts that interfered with his serving as special counsel

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Johnson: President was warned about obstruction then dictated a statement for press saying he had no intent of firing you. Next day media reported Mueller was investigating him for obstruction. Then tweets from president criticizing investigation True?

Mueller: Generally so

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It's Gomert's turn. Asking for unanimous consent to submit an article called "Robert Mueller Unmasked."

Gomert: Comey calls and you drop everything. You and James Comey have been good friends for many years

Mueller: We were business associates. We were friends.

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Gomert: Did you speak to Comey in 6 months before appointment.

Mueller: No

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Gomert: You were discussing FBI directorship day before you were appointed

Mueller: Said he was not there as a candidate

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Gomert: You hired a bunch of people who did not like the president. When did you learn of Peter Strozk's aninmus toward president

Mueller: Summer 2017. (Said he did not know when he joined team)

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Gomert: Asks about the texts. Did you order an investigation of their deletion of texts?

Mueller: There was an ongoing IG investigation

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Gomert: Obstruction requires a corrupt state of mind?

Mueller: Corrupt intent. Yes.

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Gomert: Says if someone is frustrated and innocent, "what he's doing is not obstructing justice, he's pursuing justice."

Mueller: I take your question

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Rep. Deutch Florida Democrat mentions two phone calls to McGahn urging him to get Rod to fire Mueller

Mueller: I direct you to report to characterize

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Deutch: You find White House Counsel McGahn to be a credible witness, correct?

Mueller: Correct

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Deutch: You found evidence that the president wanted to fire him because he was investigating you. Deutch said that's what the report says.

Mueller: I stand by the report.

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Questions now from Martha Roby, Alabama Republican. Mentions that Mueller was not fired and McGahn did not quit

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Roby: Did the report tone or substance change after Barr at his confirmation hearing said he would make it public

Mueller: Said he could not comment

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Roby: How many of the 500 interviews did you attend?

Mueller: Very few

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Roby: Asks Mueller about March 27 letter to Barr complaining about public being misled after Barr wrote letter characterizing report before released to public

Mueller: Letter speaks for itself. Won't get into who wrote it or if it was leaked or why.

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Rep. Bass, California Dem, is ready with her questions. She jumps in with questions about President calls to McGahn to have Mueller removed.

President said, "fake news, fake news". Correct?

Mueller: Correct

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Reader. This is one of the very best Congressional hearing I have every watched. And, I've watched far too many. The @HouseJudiciary are so well prepared.

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@HouseJudiciary Bass: McGahn told the president that he was not going to lie. Is true.

Mueller: Said yes. Or he said true. (Missed exactly what he said)

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@HouseJudiciary Bass: President asked his White House counsel McGahn to create a record saying (incorrectly) that Trump asked him to fire Mueller

Mueller: Correct

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@HouseJudiciary Oh. Boy. I hear shouting. It must be Rep. Jordan, Republican from Ohio.

Wants to know why he didn't charge Misfud.

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@HouseJudiciary Jordan is like a Trump tweet come to life.

MISFUD. PAPADOPOLOUS. FBI EVEN SENT A LADY POSING AS SOMEBODY ELSE. SPY.

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@HouseJudiciary Jordan trips over his own shouting. Who told Papadopolous?

Mueller: I cannot get into this

Jordan: Yes you can. Joseph Misfud. . .guy who started it all.

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@HouseJudiciary Jordan: Why didn't you charge Misfud

Mueller: I can't get into it. And it's obvious we can't get into charging decisions.

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@HouseJudiciary Jordan: Shouting about how "the central figure who launches it all lies to us" and you "don't charge him with a crime."

Mueller: I'm not certain I agree with your characterizations

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@HouseJudiciary Jordan: Figure out how the false accusations started. That's exactly what Bill Barr is doing.

Mueller: [Silence. Looks around].

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@HouseJudiciary Nadler announces a five-minute break.

Phew. I need one

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@HouseJudiciary Chair Nadler gavels back in at 10:15. Mueller is back in and seated at the table.

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@HouseJudiciary Rep. Richmond, a Louisiana Democrat is first to question Mueller after the break. He's focused on President's effort to get White House counsel McGahn to remove Mueller.

Mueller confirms that President did this.

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@HouseJudiciary Richmond: President was trying to force McGahn to say something he did not believe to be true.

Mueller: That is accurate

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@HouseJudiciary Shouting Rep. Gaetz, Republican from Florida. Why can't you answer questions about Steele Dossier even though it's predated you? But you charged Manafort with things that predated you?

But he is not given Mueller a moment to respond. Lots of shouting

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@HouseJudiciary Gaetz: Did Steele lie to FBI

Mueller: Said Steele was beyond has purview

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@HouseJudiciary Gaetz: But what if the Russians lied to Steele. Shouting. Complains that he wrote 3,500 words on Trump Tower meeting. Asks a loaded question

Mueller: This is under investigation elsewhere within the Department of Justice. [Basically ask them and FBI]

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@HouseJudiciary Gaetz is still shouting. "When people associated with Trump lie, you throw the book at them" but not Steele. "Because the team was so biased."

End of his time

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@HouseJudiciary Now Rep. Jeffries, NY Dem is questioning Mueller. Did President take steps to terminate the Special Counsel

Mueller: Correct

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@HouseJudiciary Jeffries: Is an attempt to remove special counsel an obstructive act if it would to interfere . . . Correct?

Mueller: Correct

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@HouseJudiciary Jeffries: On June 17, 2017, day after Trump tweeted that he was under investigation by FBI. Trump told McGahn, "Mueller has to go." Correct?

Mueller: Correct

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@HouseJudiciary Jeffries is great. He has Mueller agree that attempt to fire Mueller is an obstructive act, and showed nexus. Now he seems to be moving to corrupt intent.

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@HouseJudiciary Jeffries: Did Trump see investigation by special counsel as "adverse" to his interests?

Mueller: Said that was generally true

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@HouseJudiciary When Trump ordered Don McGahn to fire Mueller . . . those are the elements of obstruction of justice. . .

Mueller: Said, I don't say it's not out of the ballpark, but I am not supportive of that analytical charge

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@HouseJudiciary Rep. Ken Buck, Colorado Republican is reading through his biography. "It puzzles me why you handled your duties in this case as you did."

So, it's the Republicans' plan to challenge Mueller's judgment. Upset that he "did not reach a conclusion about the merits of the case"

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@HouseJudiciary Buck said it's unfair to shift the burden to the President to prove his innocence.

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@HouseJudiciary Buck is misreading the language of the obstruction statutes and missing the omnibus clauses. This is annoying

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@HouseJudiciary Buck: Why did you make decision on Russian interference and not obstruction.

Mueller: OLC opinion states that "We cannot indict a sitting president."

Buck: You could charge him after he left office?

Mueller: Yes. OLC opinion says he could continue investigation

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@HouseJudiciary Rep. Cicciline Rhode Island Dem is focused on five obstructive incidents. Asks about Corey Lewandowski conversation in oval office with president 2 days after president called McGahn to fire Mueller. Lewandowski was a private citizen

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@HouseJudiciary Cicciline: President told Lewandowski to deliver a message to the attorney general Session (who was still recused) to limit Mueller's investigation

Mueller: Yes

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@HouseJudiciary Cicilline: An unsuccessful attempt to obstruct justice is still a crime.

Mueller: That's correct

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@HouseJudiciary Ciccilline: 1000 former federal prosecutors said anyone one else would have been charged with obstruction. Do you agree?

Mueller: [I could not hear what he said, had to rewind]. He seemed to begin an answer and then was cut off. . . not sure who cut him off

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@HouseJudiciary Biggs Arizona Republican is asking questions. When did you realize there was no conspiracy with the president

Mueller: [Could not pinpoint a time]

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@HouseJudiciary Biggs: Six days before he was appointed, Rosenstein called you mentioning a special counsel would be appointed.

Mueller: I don't have any knowledge of that occurring

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@HouseJudiciary Biggs: Said five days before he met with Rosenstein in person

Mueller: Said he cannot answer as internal discussions

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@HouseJudiciary Good. Rep. @ericswalwell, Calfornia Dem is referring to the letter from 1,000 former federal prosecutors in which they said anyone else who did what Trump did would have been charged with obstruction of justice

Mueller: They have a different case

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell Now it's @tedlieu's turn for questions. He is focused on page 94 of Volume II. Getting Mueller to agree that telling Lewandowski to get Sessions to limit Mueller investigation was obstructive act. And, Mueller agreed that there was a nexus to an official proceeding.

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu Now Lieu is reading from that page that says what the president's intent was, to get him to stop his investigation of the president. Implication now is all three elements are there. Mueller stands by report.

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu Lieu said based on evidence, at least 3 crimes of obstruction of justice by the president occurred. Will hear 2 more today.

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu Mueller said even though I am going through the elements with you it does not mean that I subscribed to what you are trying to show with those elements.

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu Rep. McClintock, California Republican, is on the attack. Calling Mueller's office biased. Accused Mueller of editing transcript of Dowd voice message to Flynn's attorney to take out exculpatory information.

Mueller did not agree and wouldn't get into it

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu McClintock says Kilimnik was an intelligence agent

Mueller won't agree or get into whether he interviewed him

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu McClintock is now claiming that there was no evidence that the Russian government was responsible for the troll farms. Refers to Concord Management case

Mueller: I'm not going to get into that any further. . . I dispute your characterization of what occurred at hearing

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu Mueller: "I don't think you have reviewed a report that is so thorough, so fair, that is so consistent as the report" we created.

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu Now Rep. @RepRaskin is asking questions. He mentions that offense of witness tampering comes with up to 20 year prison sentence. Gets Mueller to confirm that Cohen received a lot of pressure to stay on the team and "sleep well tonight. . .you have friends in high places."

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Raskin is reading from the report about President using "inducements in the form of positive messages" to discourage him from testifying truthfully

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Rep. Lesko, Arizona Republican is revisiting exchange between Lieu and Mueller.

She said he told Lieu that he did not indict the President but for the OLC memo.

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Lesko asks if Barr said anything inaccurate about the report in his short letter.

Mueller refers to March 27 letter. Says it speaks for itself.

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Lesko: How many times did you cite the Washington Post in your report (She also mentions New York Times an Fox News).

Mueller: I do not have knowledge of that figure

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Lesko claims the investigation cost $25 million and yet claims volume II is mostly filled with news stories anyone with a cable subscription already knew

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Rep Jayapal, Dem from Washington re indictments from Trump campaign officials Manafort and Gates. She mentions Manafort told Gates he should not cooperate because he'd spoken to President's office and they were going to take care of us.

Mueller: Agreed with that

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Jayapal referencing and Mueller agreeing that President didn't want Manafort to flip. When someone tries to stop someone from talking to law enforcement because you are worried what they say, this is witness tampering

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Jayapal notes report that says Manafort lied and also his lawyers briefed the president's lawyers. Page 127, vol. 2

Mueller: If it's from the report, I support it.

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Rep. Reschenthaler, Pennsylvania Republican is asking a very long question about previous AG concerns about the previous (non-existent) statute that was used during Starr Investigation of Clinton.

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Mueller said he did not remove exculpatory evidence about president.

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Unbelievable. Reschenthaler just called Mueller's work un-American.

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin It's Val Demings, Florida Dem spoke briefly but as she's on the Intelligence Committee gave her time to the next questioner, Rep. Correa, California Dem.

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Correa: Asked whether Trump told Christie day after Flynn fired that the Russia thing was over. Also asked whether Christie let him know it was not

Mueller: Correct

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Correa is asking about the private meeting in White House between Trump and Comey. The one in which Trump asked Comey that Flynn was a good guy and should let it go. Mueller agreed and also agreed that he trusted Comey's account of that meeting over the president's

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Now Rep Ben Cline (Virginia Republican) is in the weeds about the provisions of one of the obstruction statutes.

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Now he's talking about the case involving Arthur Andersen shredding Enron documents.

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin OMG. We are now onto Hillary's emails

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Okay. Vice Chair Mary Gay Scanlon, Pennsylvania Dem is asking questions about Wikileaks. Mueller won't answer questions as he's not specifically familiar with Michael Cohen's testimony before Congress.

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Scanlon: Did President deny knowledge of himself or anyone else discussing Wikileaks dumps with Roger Stone?

Mueller: Yes

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Yelling Rep. Steube, Florida Republican has lots of questions about Christopher Steele

Mueller: Said something like that is one of the investigations that's being handled by others.

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Now it's Rep. Sylvia Garcia, Texas Dem. She's asking about Roger Stone.

Mueller: Doesn't want to hinder the other prosecution happening in DC

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Mueller cannot discuss anything having to do with the Stone prosecution, even if she's quoting from the indictment.

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Garcia: No one is above the law

Mueller: That's right

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Rep. Kelly Armstrong, North Dakota Republican jumps right in. How many people on your staff did you fire?

Mueller: I'm not going to discuss that.

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Now Armstrong is talking about Andrew Weissmann and other staffers.

Mueller: We strove to hire individuals who could do the job. .[In more than twenty years] I have not had the occasion to ask someone about their political affiliation.

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Huh? Armstrong is suggesting that they could just swap Trump's name for Hillary's name.

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Rep. Joe Neguse, Colorado Dem is bringing up Donald Trump Jr. and meeting in Trump Tower June 2016. Mueller would not answer whether there was a discussion of Don Jr. taking the fifth.

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Neguse asking about Hope Hick's reaction to reading email exchange between Trump jr. and Rob Goldstone. The "if it's what you say, I love it" ones. Isn't it true that Hicks told president that they should be fully transparent about meeting but he refused

Mueller: Accurate

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Rep. Johnson is closing for the Republican side. Accused his team of bias. Claims that while president's social media accounts influenced media and followers, claims it did not affect any witnesses.

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Johnson said your report did not recommend impeachment, did it?

Mueller: I'm not going to talk about recommendations

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Nadler says we will finish in 15 minutes. A few more democratic questioners

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Rep. Lucy McBath, Georgia Democrat. The following Trump campaign associates were either convicted or pleaded guilty. He agreed

Manafort
Gates
Flynn
Cohen
Papadopolous

154/

@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin McBath describes Mueller's report as substantive and fair.

Now Rep. Stanton, an Arizona Democrat is helping point out that he received appointments from Republican presidents.

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Good, Rep. Madeleine Dean, Pennsylvania Dem is going to quote the March 27 letter to AG Barr.

"The summary letter [Barr wrote] did not fully capture the context, nature and substance of this office's work and conclusions."

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin "There is now public confusion." Dean asked about that. Mueller just pointed to the letter.

She asked whether confusion could have been avoided if Barr had released Mueller's summaries.

Mueller would not answer

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Rep. Mucarsel-Powell Florida Dem an attempt to obstruct justice can be a crime.

Mueller: Yes.

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin She asked it again, this time using the word trying.

Mucarsel-Powell: Trying to obstruct justice can be a crime?

Mueller: Yes.

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Mucarsel-Powell: When the American people decide whether the President obstructed justice they need to like at all of his acts, correct?

Mueller: I don't disagree

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Now Rep. Ecobar, Texas Democrat asked whether he declined to make a traditional prosecutorial or declination decision in part due to the OLC opinion that a sitting president cannot be charged with a crime

Mueller: Yes

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Escobar: For now lawyers in room what does "potentially preempt constitutional processes."

Mueller: I think I heard you mention at least one.

Escobar: Impeachment?

Mueller: I'm not going to comment

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Escobar says, "we all have a vital role in holding the president accountable for his actions. . . No one is above the law. . . .It's clear anyone else would have been prosecuted. . . It now falls on us to hold the president accountable."

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@HouseJudiciary @ericswalwell @tedlieu @RepRaskin Nadler thanks Mueller. Gavel 12:11 p.m.

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