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In a highly anticipated testimony before the United States Congress, former special advocate, Robert Mueller, has submitted himself to seven hours of interrogation in consecutive appearances before the judicial committees and intelligence of the House.
His testimony comes four months after the conclusion of his two-year investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election and the links between the Trump campaign and Moscow, the conclusions of which were detailed in a report. 448-page report published in April.
Here are the points to remember:
Trump was not exonerated
Donald Trump has repeatedly called for "total exemption" – despite Mueller's report explicitly stating otherwise.
In the minutes following the first hearing, Mueller rejected the badertion of the president. The chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the House, Jerry Nadler, asked him if the special attorney had acquitted Trump of any wrongdoing.
"The finding indicates that the president has not been cleared for the acts he allegedly committed," Mueller said. "This is not what the report says."
In his sworn testimony, Mueller also confirmed several attempts by Trump to impede the special advocate's investigation, adding, "The obstruction of justice strikes at the heart of the government's efforts to uncover the truth and hold the public accountable. perpetrators of criminal acts ".
Mueller acknowledged that Trump's alleged efforts to obstruct the investigation were unsuccessful – a statement that the President quickly seized, which tweeted during the hearing to again falsely suggest that he was exempt from the investigation. 'obstruction.
Donald J. Trump
(@RealDonaldTrump)"Mueller was asked if the investigation had been hindered or not, and he said no." In other words, there was NO OBSTRUCTION. @KatiePavlich @Fox News
Trump's claims of "non-collusion" are inaccurate
When asked if he had found evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow, Mueller said his team had avoided the term "collusion" as it had no legal application. Mueller acknowledged that there was insufficient evidence to establish a criminal plot between the Trump campaign and the Russians, but he added that it would not be accurate to suggest that there was no evidence of coordination.
In one of the most damning exchanges, House of Representatives Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff obtained Mueller's confirmation of many links between the Trump campaign and Moscow.
Under the oath, Mueller said: The Russians have campaigned to tip the 2016 elections in favor of Trump and have committed crimes to achieve this goal; the Trump campaign was receptive to the help of the Russians; Donald Trump Jrr said that he "would like" to receive information from the Russian government about Hillary Clinton. The then-candidate, Trump, has publicly urged the Russians to hack Clinton's e-mails; Trump pursued a lucrative project, Trump Tower, in Moscow during the campaign; and several Trump campaign and administration officials were convicted of lying to investigators about their contacts with the Russians.
Marc Caputo
(@MarcACaputo)It is for this exchange that his testimony could have an effect: after a minute, it is almost done for television and is ideal for social media. pic.twitter.com/HYg5azb8VI
The threat of Russian interference continues
Mueller once again warned against the "systematic and systematic sweeping" of Russia's interference in the 2016 US election.
Asked about the prospect of Moscow's interference in the upcoming elections, Mueller issued a stern warning, telling Congress: "They are doing it while we're sitting here."
Why Mueller did not summon Trump to appear
Mueller said in his report that the written responses he had received from Trump during his investigation had proved insufficient. So why did not he compel the president to testify?
Mueller told lawmakers that he felt such an approach would entail a long legal battle, thus preventing the conclusion of the investigation.
"One of the things we hoped to accomplish was … to have the president's interview," Mueller said. "We negotiated with him for a little over a year.
"But when we were almost at the end of our investigation, we were unable to get the interview from the president.We decided not to exercise the summons authority because of the need to stop investigations, "added Mueller.
Mueller was also asked if he had badigned Don Jr, who was at the center of the infamous June 2016 meeting at the Trump Tower in New York. Mueller refused to answer the question.
Trump could be charged with a crime after leaving office
Following another interrogation by Ken Buck, a Colorado Republican, Mueller also said that Trump could be charged with a crime after leaving office.
NBC News
(@NBCNews)Rep. Buck: "Could you accuse the president of a crime after leaving his post?"
Mueller: "Yes."
Buck: "Do you think you could accuse the President of the United States of obstructing justice after he leaves?"
Mueller: "Yes." https://t.co/m9KGQtpbkx pic.twitter.com/Sd1e1B7WMi
republicans focused on discrediting Mueller
Almost all the Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee used their time to suggest that Trump was innocent or to charge Mueller's team with political motivation.
Several Republicans referred to the case of former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, detailing the alleged links between Trump and Moscow. They also questioned the role of Fusion GPS, the opposition research firm that employed Steele for his work and was paid for the first time by the conservative Free Beacon site and then retained by a law firm. lawyers working for the Democratic Party.
Robert Mueller, center, testifies before the Judiciary Committee of the House, Capitol Hill, Washington. Photography: Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
Mueller, who said he did not know about GPS Fusion, declined to deal with issues related to the Steele case, informing lawmakers that they were "under review" by the Department of Justice.
Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Republican from Texas, enthusiastically roasted Mueller for his anti-Trump text messages sent by Peter Strzok, a former member of the special council team. Mueller said he was unaware of Strzok's animation to Trump and said the former FBI agent was immediately rebadigned when his anti-Trump messages were uncovered.
Mueller says he's not looking for a FBI director position
In seeking to confuse the former special legal advisor in conflict of interest, Trump repeatedly claimed to have interviewed Mueller at the White House for the role of FBI director. Trump said for months that Mueller had been retained for the post but had been denied just before being appointed special advisor.
Mueller said under oath that he was not, in fact, a candidate for the position of FBI director under Trump. Instead, Mueller said that he shared with Trump his expertise – after being a director of the FBI – about what that role entailed.
"I was not applying for the job," Mueller said.
Trump responded on Twitter by insisting that Mueller wanted the job and said there were witnesses at the interview, including Vice President Mike Pence.
Donald J. Trump
(@RealDonaldTrump)…. interview, including the vice president of the United States!
During his testimony, Mueller denied having any conflicts in the supervision of the investigation.
Mueller confirms several episodes of possible obstruction
From the outset, it was clear that Mueller would provide few, if any, new details about his investigation and findings.
In most of his answers Mueller sent the legislator back to his report or remained faithful to its contents. He also declined to deal with several issues, citing limitations stemming from ongoing investigations or agreement with the Department of Justice around his testimony.
But there were several crucial moments in the obstruction investigation of his report that Mueller confirmed under oath and which, taken together, could provide the democrats with a road map for impeachment.
In particular, Mueller reiterated that Trump had ordered former White House lawyer Don McGahn to fire him. McGahn, one of the main witnesses to Mueller's investigation, refused to follow Trump's orders and threatened to resign.
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