Rudy Giuliani Says Robert Mueller Should Not Testify
In a radio interview aired Sunday, President Donald Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani argued that special counsel Robert Mueller should not testify before Congress, The Hill reports.
According to Giuliani, Mueller said what he had to say in his report, and during his farewell press conference, so there is no need for him to testify.
“He shouldn’t really [testify]. He already put out his report. He made his 10 minute statement and then said he wasn’t going to talk about it anymore because it’s not proper,” the lawyer opined, adding that someone must have “persuaded” Mueller to agree to a public hearing.
“He’s already commented more than any prosecutor has ever commented about a case he didn’t bring. Let’s see what he says,” he added.
After more than two years of investigations, Mueller failed to find sufficient proof of a Trump-Russia conspiracy. Despite outlining in his report 10 episodes of possible obstruction of justice by the president, the special counsel did not charge Trump with a crime, choosing to adhere to Justice Department policies against indicting a sitting president.
Mueller has made it clear that he is not willing to share what he has not already shared in his report, but lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are looking for ways to leverage the hearing and shift public opinion in their favor.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr, both Democrats and Republicans are preparing for the hearing, with one side looking to embarrass the president and reveal more damaging details about him, and the other side seeking to discredit Mueller and make the case that the Russia probe was launched under false pretenses.
GOP lawmaker ahead of Mueller hearing: "We are going to reelect the president" https://t.co/h1ExgO66Ro pic.twitter.com/w5S4hyxao8
— The Hill (@thehill) July 21, 2019
Giuliani echoed on Sunday what congressional Republicans have long suggested, stating that GOP lawmakers will try and cast the Russia probe as an attempt to remove Trump from office.
Giuliani predicted that Mueller will be “faced with a lot of questions he hasn’t answered before,” proceeding to share his own opinion about the investigation.
“I’m quite convinced it was definitely an attempt to, first, stop Donald Trump from being president, and then to remove him from office. There’s no doubt that was the motivation,” the lawyer added.
Although lawmakers from both parties are gearing up for the much-anticipated hearing, the chances of anything politically significant happening appear to be low. The Democrats have already backed away from impeachment, voting this week against Representative Al Green’s impeachment article.
Furthermore, Mueller’s testimony was moved from July 17 to July 24, which means that it will occur only two days before the six-week long summer recess. The short time frame makes it all but impossible for the Democrats to move forward with an impeachment inquiry.
