Mueller’s team indicates to Democrats he will not read report’s text if asked

Former special counsel Robert Mueller’s team indicated to House Democrats ahead of his testimony Wednesday that he would not read the text of his report if asked.

 

Two congressional sources familiar with the matter indicate that this notice was the reason why many Democrats did not seek to do so during the time-limited interviews they had secured.

Still, some members sought to try and turned out unsuccessful.{mosads}

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) asked Mueller to read a section from his report, but the former special counsel declined by replying: “I am happy to have you read it.”

Such a refusal delivers a blow to Democrats, who are seeking to get Mueller to describe the president’s conduct in his own words.

Democrats feel if they can broadcast Mueller — a well-respected, no-nonsense prosecutor — to describe key episodes of obstruction of justice by Trump that his investigation examined, then they would be able to better educate the American public about what they see as concerning behavior by the president. Many Democrats note that capturing Mueller stating so on the national stage is important for Americans who have not read the full 448-page report.

Hours into the House Judiciary Committee hearing, Mueller repeatedly referred members to specific pages in his report as part of his replies or provided short, one-word responses to questions.

Many answers were simply “correct” and “true,” as well as yes and no.

A spokesman for Mueller did not immediately respond to a request to confirm such a notice.