On Wednesday morning, beginning at 8:30 EDT, Congress will hold two hearings with Special Counsel Robert Mueller. The hearings are public and will be televised and livestreamed. Mr. Mueller will be accompanied by his chief of staff Adam Zebley.
If watching, be prepared for a long day:
-House Judiciary Committee – 8:30 a.m., Rayburn 2141. Expected to last 3 hours.
-House Intelligence – 2:00 p.m.-ish. Expected to last 2 hours.
Refresh your memory (or read for the first time) the Mueller Report: Volume 1 [1], Volume 2. [2]
My takeaway: These types of hearings present a stage for showboating by America’s elected representatives.
Public servant: Robert Mueller has served our nation at war during Vietnam where he received a Bronze Star and Purple Heart, served as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 2001-2013 (appointed by President George W. Bush and extended by President Barack Obama), is a graduate of Princeton and New York universities and a 1973 graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, and has been married to his wife Ann since 1966. His bipartisan leadership is shown in senate-confirmed positions under four presidents: George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. Perhaps most interesting of all, especially as viewers watch Republicans tear into him today (which I fully expect to happen), is that he is a Republican.
A January 2019 Pew Research Center poll [3] showed that an overwhelming majority of Republicans, 60%-36%, believed Mueller conducted a fair investigation into Russia’s interference in America’s 2016 election.
Background:
-Lawfare: What I Would Ask Robert Mueller [4] by James Comey
-USA Today: Mueller testimony: How to watch and what to expect [5] by Rebecca Morin
-CBS News: Mueller testimony: Date, time, livestreaming [6] by Emily Tillett
-Washington Post: Five things you need to know about Robert S. Mueller III’s testimony [2] by Matt Zapotosky