Former special counsel Robert Mueller told Congress Wednesday that he generally agreed that lies by Trump campaign officials and administration officials impeded his nearly two-year investigation.
Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) asked if other witnesses beyond those who were indicted during his probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election lied to his team of prosecutors.{mosads}
“I think there are probably a spectrum of witnesses in terms of those who are not telling the full truth and those that are outright liars,” Mueller responded, noting that it was fair to say there were “limits” on the evidence he could access as a result.
Demings followed up by asking if it would be accurate to say that “lies by Trump campaign officials and administration officials impeded your investigation.”
“I would generally agree with that,” Mueller said.
The testimony came during a three-hour hearing with the House Judiciary Committee. Mueller will also testify before the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday.
The former special counsel charged multiple former Trump associates — including Michael Flynn, Richard Gates and George Papadopoulos — with lying to the FBI.
But Wednesday’s testimony offered an acknowledgment that inaccurate or misleading statements from other individuals affected the way his investigation played out.
Mueller testified earlier in the hearing that President Trump refused to sit down for an in-person interview during the investigation.