Former special counsel Robert Mueller on Wednesday is testifying before Congressional lawmakers regarding his investigation into now-debunked criminal conspiracy between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia. Mueller will testify publicly at 8:30 a.m. EST before the House Judiciary Committee and at noon EST before the House Intelligence Committee.
Mueller has said that he will not stray beyond what’s already been revealed in his 448-page report. The Justice Department has instructed Mueller to stay strictly within those parameters, giving him a formal directive to point to if he faces questions he does not want to answer.
On Tuesday, Democrats on the House judiciary and intelligence panels granted his request to have his top aide in the investigation, Aaron Zebley, sit at the table with him. Zebley is not expected to be sworn in for questioning by the judiciary panel.
President Trump slammed the hearings ahead of Mueller’s testimony, writing on social media that “Democrats and others” are attempting to fabricate a crime and blame it on “a very innocent President.”
“Why didn’t Robert Mueller investigate the investigators?” the president tweeted.
Wednesday’s first hearing before the House Judiciary Committee will focus on whether the president illegally obstructed justice by attempting to seize control of Mueller’s investigation. Attorney General William Barr and Deputy Attorney and General Rod Rosenstein, citing the special counsel’s findings, ruled the president did not commit obstruction of justice during the two-year-long investigation that cost taxpayers over $25 million.
The afternoon hearing before the House intelligence committee will dive into purported ties between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin.
Many House Democrats hope Mueller’s testimony will re-energize efforts to impeach the president, though some political observers believe that is unlikely to occur. Today’s hearings come one week after the House voted 332-95 to table a resolution calling for impeachment brought by Rep. Al Green. (D-TX).
**Follow all of the events on the Breitbart News Live Wire below. All times in eastern.**
6:44 PM — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) gives remarks on the Mueller hearings:
6:36 PM — MSNBC guest John Flannery claims Mueller “suggested the word ‘impeach,'” in his testimony despite the former special counsel declining to address impeachment in the two times it was brought up.
6:24 PM — House Republican leadership hold a press conference on the Mueller hearings:
6:19 PM —
6:10 PM — MSNBC legal analyst Mimi Rocah says the Mueller hearings made her “sad.”
“I was sad I think is the word,” said the former federal prosecutor. “Any success for the Democrats I think that came out today was because Adam Schiff and Nadler guided us there. Mueller definitely did not want to and he doesn’t see that as his job, and I understand it as a prosecutor, but it makes me sad because I think we need it as a country.”
6:09 PM — And there you have it: House Speaker Pelosi demurs on impeachment (once again) following the Mueller hearings.
6:08 PM — Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) is “begging” for Americans to pay attention to the Trump White House.
6:01 PM —
5:49 PM — House Democrat leadership finally address the media regarding Mueller’s report:
6:02 PM —
5:33 PM — Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) thinks Mueller’s testimony “extremely well.”
“From colleague Jason Donner. Cummings said the Mueller hearings went “Extremely well.” Cummings added Schiff and Nadler “excellently presented case to the American people,” tweets Fox News reporter Chad Pergram.
5:33 PM — Trump’s trolling continues:
5:32 PM —
5:30 PM — President Trump drops another tweet about the Mueller hearings:
5:27 PM — Pelosi and company are 25 minutes late for their press conference on Mueller.
5:19 PM —
4:56 PM — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA), and House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nalder (D-NY) will give remarks on Mueller’s testimony shortly.
4:38 PM — President Trump rips Robert Mueller’s performance on Capitol Hill:
4:23 PM — Looks like somebody didn’t match the Mueller hearings:
3:40 PM — Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) spikes the football after the Mueller hearings:
3:33 PM — President Trump tweets after the Mueller hearings conclude:
3:29 PM — And the “Mueller Madness” is done!
3:27 PM — House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff’s (D-CA) closing statement:
3:23 PM — Exchanges between House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Robert Mueller:
3:19 PM — Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) to Robert Mueller: “Were you instructed by anyone not to investigate the president’s personal finances?”
Robert Mueller answers: “No.”
3:18 PM —
3:16 PM — No comment from Mueller on whether the special counsel obtained President Trump’s tax returns.
3:12 PM — Exchange between Rep. Val Demings (D-FL) and Robert Mueller:
3:11 PM — Mueller confirms the president’s written answers submitted to the special counsel under oath.
3:05 PM — Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) to Mueller: “Why didn’t you subpoena the president?”
Mueller answers: “Little success in pushing to get the interview […] Decided we did not want to exercise the subpoena power because of the necessity of expediting the end of the investigation.”
3:03 PM — Robert Mueller takes a shot at the Trump campaign:
2:58 PM — Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) opts against asking Mueller any more questions.
2:57 PM — Did a Democrat lawmaker fall asleep?
2:48 PM — Rep. Denny Heck (D-WA) to Mueller: “Trump and his team stood to make many millions of dollars’ on the Moscow tower deal?
Mueller answer: “True.”
2:47 PM — Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) to Mueller: “How do we prevent Russia and other adversaries from doing this again… you’ve seen tactics, techniques, and results of intelligence operations?”
Robert Mueller replies: “Our ability of our intelligence agencies to work together’ should be a top priority.
2:46 PM —
2:42 PM — Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) to Robert Mueller: “The party line was that Cohen & Trump never discussed traveling to Russia during the campaign, when in truth they did discuss it. Is that right?”
Robert Mueller answers: “That’s accurate.”
2:39 PM — Former Under Secretary Homeland Security Michael Brown savages Mueller:
2:34 PM — Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) to Robert Mueller: “Did the Special Counsel Office undertake any efforts to investigate, verify, or disprove allegations in the Steele Dossier.”
Robert Mueller responds: “Again, I can’t respond.”
2:32 PM — Rep. Swalwell (D-CA) to Mueller: “From 1/1/17 to 3/19, Donald Trump met with Vladimir Putin in person 6 times, called him 10 times, and exchanged 4 letters with him… he did not meet with you in person is that correct?”
Robert Mueller replies: “He did not.”
2:31 PM — Rep. Swalwell (D-CA) to Robert Mueller: “National Security Advisor Flynn lied about discussions with the Russian Ambassador related to sanctions.”
Robert Mueller replies: “That’s correct.”
2:30 PM — Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) hardest hit:
2:28 PM — Director of Communications for President Trump’s re-election campaign tweets:
2:25 PM — Harvard Law Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz believes Robert Mueller’s testimony shows Mueller did not author the special counsel office’s report.
2:21 PM — President Trump trolls Mueller’s performance on Capitol Hill.
2:19 PM —
2:17 PM — Harvard Law School’s Laurence Tribe has a “sad.”
2:13 PM — Mueller once against declines to answer questions regarding Fusion GPS, the opposition research firm behind the anti-Trump dossier:
2:11 PM — Mueller refers to President Trump’s praise of WikiLeaks in 2016 as “Problematic”:
2:05 PM — Robert Mueller claims he doesn’t know if his office leaked details of the FBI’s earlier morning raid on Trump ally Roger Stone.
2:04 PM — Deep.
2:01 PM — Robert Mueller summarizes what he wants Americans to take from his report:
1:57 PM — Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) is seen at the White House during Robert Mueller’s second hearing.
1:56 PM — Exchange between Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) and Robert Mueller regarding his investigation:
1:54 PM — Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) says Robert Mueller is the “greatest patriot” in the hearing room.
1:53 PM — Mueller says he requested to expand the scope of his investigation.
1:50 PM — Exchange between Rep. André Carson (D-IN) and Robert Mueller regarding Paul Manfort:
1:44 PM — Robert Mueller passes the buck:
1:43 PM — Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH): “[Collusion] is not a legal term, so you didn’t put it in your conclusion.”
Robert Mueller replies: “That’s correct.”
1:35 PM — Exchange between Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL) and Robert Mueller:
1:34 PM — Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani tweets:
1:33 PM —
1:30 PM — Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) to Robert Mueller: “If a campaign receives an offer of dirt from a foreign individual or government, should that campaign report those contacts?
Robert Mueller replies: “Should be and can be, depending on the circumstances, a crime.”
1:29 PM — Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), reading from the Mueller report, says to the former special counsel: “The Russian govt perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome. Do I have that statement right?”
Robert Mueller replies: “I believe so.”
1:24 PM — Meet the Press host Chuck Todd says Mueller’s testimony did not advance Democrats’ impeachment efforts:
1:19 PM — Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA): “When Donald Trump called your investigation a ‘witch hunt,’ that was also false, was it not?”
Robert Mueller replies: “I’d like to think so, yes.”
1:17 PM —
1:16 PM — Democrats are in trouble when they lose MSNBC:
1:15 PM — Robert Mueller cleans up his testimony about the OLC:
1:09 PM — Already some fireworks:
1:05 PM — Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) brings the heat:
1:05 PM — President Trump mocks the Mueller hearings:
1:04 PM —
1:01 PM — Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) says in his opening statement: “Our government is chosen by our people, our franchise, not some hostile foreign power… this is why your work matters, Mr. Mueller. This is why our investigation matters.”
1:00 PM — The House Intelligence Committee featuring Robert Mueller has begun.
12:58 PM — President Trump’s personal attorney on Mueller hearing: “This morning’s testimony exposed the troubling deficiencies of the Special Counsel’s investigation… The American people understand that this issue is over. They also understand that the case is closed.”
12:52 PM — White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham on the first Robert Mueller hearing: “The last three hours have been an epic embarrassment for the Democrats. Expect more of the same in the second half.”
12:51 PM —
12:50 PM — Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) says it’s a “bad day” for those who hoped Mueller’s testimony would re-energize impeachment efforts.
12:49 PM — CNN must have watched another hearing:
12:44 PM — Corporate media continues to dunk on Mueller’s testimony.
12:38 PM — Don’t tell Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA):
12:37 PM —
12:24 PM —
12:16 PM —
12:15 PM — Former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) knocks Mueller’s performance:
12:13 PM — Of course, Cohen did this:
12:10 PM — Robert Mueller has completed his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee.
12:02 PM — Robert Mueller declines a second time to state whether he recommends impeaching President Trump:
12:01 PM — Robert Mueller forgets which president appointed him as a Massachusetts prosecutor:
11:55 AM — Robert Mueller declines to answer questions about impeaching President Trump:
11:50 AM — Robert Mueller won’t answer whether Donald Trump Jr. invoked the 5th Amendment to avoid interviewing with special counsel team.
11:45 AM — Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) grills Robert Mueller about hiring prosecutors who appear partial to Democrats. He is specially asked about Andrew Weissmann attending Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential concession speech. He says he doesn’t know when he found out Weissman went to the event.
Mueller follows up with: “I have been in this business for almost 25 years. And in those 25 years, I have not had occasion once to ask somebody about their political affiliation. It is not done. What I care about is the capability of the individual.”
11:43 AM —
11:37 AM — From Politico’s Josh Gerstein:
11:36 AM — Robert Mueller denies interviewing for the position of FBI director, saying: “My understanding is I was not applying for the job. I was asked to give my input on what it would take to do the job.”
11:35 AM — Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) asks Robert Mueller: “Given your 22 months of investigation… did you obtain any evidence that any American voter changed their vote as a result of Russian election interference?”
Robert Mueller replies: “I’m not gonna speak to that.”
11:33 AM — Robert Mueller remarks about the WikiLeaks email dump:
11:33 AM — Conservative radio host Mark Levin weighs in on the Mueller hearing:
11:31 AM — Robert Mueller defends his “pitbull” Andrew Weissmann:
11:24 AM — Drudge Report founder Matt Drudge tweets:
11:23 AM — Exchange between Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA) and Robert Mueller regarding former NSA advisor Michael Flynn:
11:20 AM — Rep. Val Demings (D-FL) to Robert Mueller: “Did other witnesses lie to you?”
Robert Mueller replies: “I think there are probably a spectrum of witnesses in terms of those who are not telling the full truth or those who are outright liars.”
11:19 AM — Rep. Guy Reschenthaler R-PA rips Robert Mueller:
11:13 AM —
11:12 AM — From a Washington Post congressional reporter:
11:11 AM — 2020 White House hopeful and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg comments on Mueller’s testimony:
11:10 AM —
11:08 AM — Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ) asks Robert Mueller: “Were you ever fired as special counsel?”
Robert Mueller replies “No” and later says he was allowed to complete his probe unencumbered.
11:00 AM — Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) asks Robert Mueller: “You found evidence that the president engaged in efforts to encourage witnesses not to cooperate with the investigation.”
Robert Mueller replies: “That’s correct.”
10:59 AM —
10:54 AM — Rep. Tom McClintock (D-CA) says Robert Mueller dropped a “paper sack” on “fire” at Congress’s doorstep with his report.
Robert Mueller replies: “I don’t think you’ll review a report that is as thorough, as fair, as consistent.”
10:52 AM — Fail by Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA):
10:51 AM — ABC News chief legal analyst Dan Abrams says the Mueller hearing is “a bit of a bust’ for Democrats.
10:50 AM —
10:47 AM — Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) to Robert Mueller: “How many times did you speak to Mr. Comey about any investigations pertaining to Russia prior to May 17, 2017?”
Robert Mueller responds: “None at all.”
10:46 AM —
10:40 AM — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell mocks Democrats’ high hopes for Robert Mueller’s testimony:
10:39 AM — Exchange between Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) and Robert Mueller:
10:35 AM — ICYMI: David Axelrod, former President Barack Obama’s chief political strategist, weighs in on Mueller’s doddering performance:
10:30 AM — From a national security correspondent for The Washington Post:
10:29 AM —
10:28 AM — Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) to Robert Mueller: “Your investigation found that the president took steps to terminate the special counsel, correct?”
Robert Mueller replies: “Correct.”
10:24 AM — Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) grills Robert Mueller about ex-British intelligence agent Christopher Steele regarding his anti-Trump dossier. The special counsel refuses to answer any questions on the matter.
10:22 AM — Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA) asks Robert Mueller: “It’s fair to say the president tried to protect himself by asking staff to falsify records relevant to an ongoing investigation?”
Robert Mueller replies: “I would say that is generally a summary.”
10:21 AM —
10:20 AM — More from former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders:
10:19 AM —
10:09 AM — The Fox News Channel’s Chris Wallace says Robert Mueller’s testimony is a “disaster” for his reputation. And the same for the Democrats.
10:07 AM — Donald Trump Jr. slams Robert Mueller and the House Judiciary Democrats.
10:04 AM — House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) has called a brief recess.
10:01 AM — Robert Mueller refuses to answer questions about spying claims regarding former Trump campaign aides Carter Page and George Papadopoulos during the 2016 presidential election.
9:58 AM —
9:53 AM — Former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders weighs in on the Mueller hearing:
9:52 AM — Exchange between Rep. Martha Roby (R-AL) and Robert Mueller:
9:48 AM —
9:47 AM — Robert Mueller says he found White House general counsel Bob McGan to be a credible witness in his investigation.
9:45 AM —
9:43 AM —
9:42 AM — Robert Mueller says he did not speak to James Comey at least six months before becoming special counsel.
9:41 AM — Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) asks Robert Mueller about his relationship with fired FBI Director James Comey:
9:40 AM —
9:38 AM — Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) questions Mueller about obstruction of justice:
9:34 AM — Robert Mueller claims that he had no conflicts of interest that would have prevented him from being appointed as special counsel.
9:32 AM — Robert Mueller refuses to answer questions about Fusion GPS, the opposition research firm behind the anti-Trump dossier.
9:27 AM — Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) questions Robert Mueller about former Attorney General Jeff Sessions:
9:21 AM — Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) asks Robert Mueller: “You never use the term ‘raising to impeachable conduct’ for any of the 10 instances [of obstruction]?”
Mueller replies: “[We kept] in the center of our investigation our mandate. Our mandate does not go to other ways of addressing conduct.”
9:20 AM — Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) weigh in on Robert Mueller’s testimony:
9:18 AM — More between Robert Mueller and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX).
9:14 AM — Exchange between Robert Mueller and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX).
9:11 AM — Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) tears into Robert Mueller:
9:08 AM — Mueller mispronounces President Trump’s last name, calling him “Trimp.”
9:07 AM — Rep. Lofgren (D-CA) asks Mueller whether his probe found Paul Manafort had briefed Russian political operative Konstantin Kilimnik on strategies of the Trump campaign. Mueller says yes.
9:03 AM —
9:02 AM —
8:58 AM — Robert Mueller says his probe was not curtailed at any point.
8:56 AM — Robert Mueller says President Trump declined to be interviewed by the special counsel. However, the president did reply to multiple written questions posed by the special counsel.
8:54 AM — Robert Mueller says his report does not completely exonerate President Trump.
8:49 AM — Robert Mueller says in his opening statement: “I am unable to address questions about the opening of the FBI’s Russia investigation, which occurred months before my appointment, or matters related to the so-called ‘Steele Dossier.’ ”
8:46 AM — Robert Mueller further says in his opening statement: “I do not intend to summarize or describe the results of our work in a different way in the course of my testimony today. As I said on May 29: the report is my testimony. And I will stay within that text.”
“We did not address collusion,'” which is not a legal term,” the former special counsel said. “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.”
8:45 AM — Robert Mueller says in his opening statement: “I [accepted the job of special counsel] because I believed it was of paramount interest to the nation.”
8:44 AM — Robert Mueller is sworn in following opening statements from House Judiciary members Jerry Nadler (D-NY) and Doug Collins (R-GA).
8:41 AM —
8:40 AM — Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, says in the opening statement:
8:39 AM — A protester is removed from the hearing room.
8:36 AM — House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler’s (D-NY) praises Mueller:
8:35 AM — House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler’s (D-NY) opening statement:
8:28 AM — Robert Mueller arrives in the hearing room.
8:28 AM — Russia collusion hoaxer Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) is in the house.
8:18 AM — President Trump tweets about reports that Mueller has said he did not seek the job of FBI director under the Trump administration:
8:16 AM — Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Louie Gohmert (R-TX), and Jim Jordan (R-OH) Aconverse ahead of Mueller’s testimony.
8:11 AM — Former special counsel Robert Mueller has arrived on Capitol Hill.
8:10 AM — Photos of the line for former special counsel Robert Mueller’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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