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Unanswered Questions, Uncertain Consequences After Mueller Hearings
Brian, the Washington Post's Rosalind Helderman and WNYC's Andrea Bernstein take calls and break down Robert Mueller's testimony before the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees.
If you missed the hours of testimony, here are some highlights from our Twitter feed:
@BrianLehrerNadler hammered home a few points: 1. Trump's claim that Mueller's report exonerated him is false; 2. The decision not to indict the president was done under the guidance of DOJ's Office of Legal Council; and 3. Trump resisted a year's worth of efforts to provide testimony.@BrianLehrer
John Ratcliffe (R-TX) challenges the report's non-exoneration. It was not [Mueller's] job to conclusively determine Trump's innocence, he says. Here's Ratcliffe's math: "Presumption of innocence" + the lack of an indictment = innocence.@BrianLehrer
Steve Cohen (D-TN) bringing up Trump's reaction to Mueller's appointment ("This is the end of my presidency... I'm F***ed"). Cohen is using details from the report to paint a picture of a president working to interfere in the investigation.
@BrianLehrer
Louie Gohmert (R-TX) introduces into the Congressional Record a 48-page document he wrote attacking "Mueller's disreputable, twisted history," and calls the investigation an "attempt to legalize a coup." @BrianLehrer
Matt Gaetz (R-FL) brings up the Steele dossier again, which Mueller said at the start he wouldn't discuss. He still won't go there. Gaetz's line of questioning paints Mueller into a non-cooperative witness corner.
@BrianLehrer
Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) laid out the 3-pronged obstruction test, says POTUS must be held accountable. Mueller says, "I'm not saying it's out of the ballpark, but I'm not supportive of that analytical charge."@BrianLehrerAdam Schiff (D-CA) hones in on the business dealings of Trump campaign and transition officials -- incl. with Russian entities -- and is asking Mueller to confirm, one by one, that several lied over the course of looking into these dealings. Mueller: "True... Accurate... Yes"@BrianLehrerDevin Nunes (R-CA): "Let's continue with the opening of the investigation..." Mueller has stated several times that he will not talk about the origins of the FBI's probe.@BrianLehrer
Mueller says that as far as he can recall, no one asked him to exclude something from the report that he felt should have been included.