Earlier this week, as The Inquisitr reported, members of the special counsel’s team anonymously revealed to the press that Robert Mueller is hesitant about testifying publicly before Congress. Members of Mueller’s team said that he does not want to “appear political” and would prefer a behind-closed-doors hearing.
The news came amid growing calls for impeachment, causing more headache for House Democrats who appear to have pinned their hopes on the special counsel — who found no Trump-Russia conspiracy and refused to charge the president with obstruction of justice — yet again.
Appearing on The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC Thursday night, House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler confirmed that Mueller does not want to testify publicly, The Hill reports.
Nadler, who has previously vowed to subpoena Mueller if necessary, refrained from discussing that option with Rachel Maddow, confirming that Mueller would prefer a private hearing.
“He is willing to make an opening statement but he wants to testify in private. We’re saying we think it’s important for the American people to hear from him and to hear his answers to questions about the report,” Nadler said.
Echoing statements given by members of the special counsel’s team, Nadler confirmed that Mueller would rather avoid testifying publicly in order to not appear political, suggesting that the special counsel’s hesitance is also caused by the possibility that Republicans would ask questions pertaining to the origins of the Russia probe.
“He envisions himself, correctly, as a man of great rectitude and apolitical and he doesn’t want to participate in anything that he might regard as a political spectacle,” the top Democrat said.
“Especially if Republicans on the committee start asking him questions about this stuff, about the beginning of the investigation,” he added.
But the public would not be left completely in the dark, according to Nadler. The Democratic representative revealed that a transcript of Mueller’s private testimony would be made available to the public.
“We’d see a transcript,” he told MSNBC.
Rep. Nadler: Mueller wants to testify in private. pic.twitter.com/Wn7YBUK3lQ
— Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) May 24, 2019
House Democrats have insisted on launching more Russia investigations, but the public appears to disagree. As The Washington Examiner reported, according to a new poll from CBS, 53 percent of Americans want Congress to move on to other issues. However, 75 percent said Mueller should testify before Congress.
In some strange turn of events, Justin Amash’s stance is more audacious than that of House Democratic leadership https://t.co/ES6LWyP3C0
— GQ Magazine (@GQMagazine) May 21, 2019
Likewise looming large is the impeachment question, and the Democratic Party appears deeply divided on the issue. As The New York Times reported, echoing her previous statements and contradicting many of her colleagues, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi argued yesterday against impeachment, while accusing Trump of stonewalling House investigations.
