Nadler: "Mueller told us a lot of what we need to hear today"

Why it matters: In his first public statement since he was appointed special counsel, Mueller reaffirmed that a Justice Department legal opinion ruled out any option of charging President Trump with a crime, saying: "The Constitution requires a process other than the criminal justice system to formally accuse a sitting president of wrongdoing." According to the opinion, that process is Congress' power to impeach, though Mueller did not explicitly say that in his remarks.

• Mueller's claim that he would have cleared Trump if he "had confidence that the president did not commit a crime" has energized some Democrats who were previously hesitant to launch impeachment proceedings.
• Democratic party leaders like Nadler and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, meanwhile, appear to be holding steady in their strategy of continuing to investigate Trump without a formal impeachment inquiry.
• Some House Democrats have said they are still confident that Mueller will testify, but Nadler threw some cold water on the likelihood of that happening with his statement Wednesday.

Go deeper:

• Highlights from Mueller's first press conference
• What they're saying: Washington reacts to Mueller's public statement