WASHINGTON (CN) – An enigmatic but central character in the saga of the Russian meddling in the 2016 election, former special counsel Robert Mueller will go before lawmakers Wednesday to testify about the pattern of obstruction snaking its way through the White House.
Mueller, who resigned as special counsel in May after the official investigation concluded, is expected to appear before the House Judiciary Committee for roughly three hours beginning at 8:30 a.m., followed by another two- to three-hour round with the House Intelligence Committee beginning at noon.
Some Democratic lawmakers have advertised Mueller’s testimony as a critical factor in helping the public and Congress understand the effort to impeach the president. But just 95 of 553 House members have voted in favor of impeachment, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has shied away from the subject, arguing that any attempt at impeachment would be doomed in the Republican-majority controlled Senate and a death knell for Democrats in the 2020 election.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler told Fox News on Sunday that the goal for Wednesday’s hearing is largely to have Mueller lay out the “very substantial evidence” compiled in the final report, which he claims points to President Donald Trump committing high crimes and misdemeanors.
“We have to let Mueller present those facts to the American people and then see where we go from there because the administration must be held accountable and no president can be above the law,” Nadler said.
Mueller is not expected to deliver any bombshells during his testimony. At his resignation, he indicated the report itself served as his testimony, and the Department of Justice threw more cold water Monday night on the possibility of new information coming to light.
In a letter to the former special counsel, the department directed him to stay within the boundaries of the findings outlined in the 448-page report. Anything beyond what was publicly disclosed, the Justice Department warned, is protected by presidential privilege. White House attorneys who could field any potential threats to executive privilege are not expected to be on hand during Wednesday’s hearing.
Nadler responded to the Justice Department’s warning during an interview with CNN Tuesday morning.
“It’s incredibly arrogant. … It’s a part of the ongoing cover-up by the administration to keep information away from the American people, but I think it’s not going to have a real impact,” Nadler said.
Representative Doug Collins, a vocal critic of the Russia probe and ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, expressed frustration meanwhile with reports that Aaron Zebley, Mueller’s chief of staff, has been invited to testify alongside Mueller on Wednesday.