Trump says Mueller shouldn't testify as House Democrats close in on date
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President Trump tweeted on Sunday that special counsel Robert Mueller should not testify before Congress, arguing that Democrats are "looking for a redo" after the investigation failed to establish that his campaign conspired with Russia.
After spending more than $35,000,000 over a two year period, interviewing 500 people, using 18 Trump Hating Angry Democrats & 49 FBI Agents - all culminating in a more than 400 page Report showing NO COLLUSION - why would the Democrats in Congress now need Robert Mueller to testify. Are they looking for a redo because they hated seeing the strong NO COLLUSION conclusion? There was no crime, except on the other side (incredibly not covered in the Report), and NO OBSTRUCTION. Bob Mueller should not testify. No redos for the Dems!
Why it matters: Trump has previously said that he will not prevent Mueller from testifying and that he will leave it up to Attorney General Bill Barr to decide. Barr — despite being accused by many Democrats of obfuscating and spinning the Mueller report's findings in favor of Trump — has said the Justice Department has no issue with Mueller testifying. The House Judiciary Committee is in negotiations with Mueller's team and is hoping to bring him in to testify on May 15.
- Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a staunch Trump ally, has said he will not bring Mueller in to testify unless he has objections to how Barr characterized their phone call.
Reality check: Mueller did not conclude that Trump did not obstruct justice, and in fact specifically chose not to exonerate him in his report. The special counsel laid out extensive evidence of episodes in which Trump may have obstructed justice, with Attorney General Barr later taking the matter into his own hands to clear the president.
- In the end, the Mueller investigation will likely not cost $35,000,000 — as Trump claimed in his tweet — thanks to the millions of dollars in restitution seized from former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, who is now in prison.
