Former FBI Director and special counsel Robert Mueller will testify Wednesday afternoon before the House Committee on Intelligence about his report on Russia’s interference into the 2016 election.
Mueller answered questions from the House Judiciary Committee earlier in the day, facing tough cross-examination from Republican lawmakers where he claimed that investigating Russian collusion with Democratic operatives was “outside the purview” of the special counsel and refused to answer questions about the “pee” dossier by foreign national Christopher Steele — which is cited in his final report.
Several pundits, including Democratic operatives and corporate media reporters, said Mueller’s demeanor appeared “shakier” than in the past: “The years have clearly taken a toll on the Bob Mueller we used to see,” said NBC’s Pete Williams. “This is delicate to say, but Mueller, whom I deeply respect, has not publicly testified before Congress in at least six years,” said former Obama deputy David Axelrod. “And he does not appear as sharp as he was then.”
The House Judiciary hearing was scheduled to end by 11:40 AM but ran long. In the latter half of the hearing, Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) asked his Democratic colleagues to ask shorter questions and cede part of their time to allow Mueller out of the hearing faster.