Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Wednesday remarks have put new pressure on House Democrats to launch impeachment proceedings against President Trump – an option that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly warned would be a trap going into the 2020 election due to the fact that the GOP-held Senate would “vindicate” Trump even if the House impeached.
Mueller, who officially resigned from the DOJ to return to private life – said that he wouldn’t appear before Congress to discuss the findings from the Justice Department’s multi-year, $25 million investigations into the 2016 election.
“I hope and expect that this will be the only time I will speak to you about this matter,” Mueller told reporters in Washington, adding “the report is my testimony” and “I would not provide information beyond that which is already public.”
Of note, Mueller said that he didn’t question Attorney General William Barr’s handling and release of the Special Counsel’s report, contradicting statements by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and turncoat Republican Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) – the latter of whom said Barr “deliberately misrepresented key aspects.”
Robert Mueller specifically stated he had no questions about AG Barr’s handling of releasing the OSC Report – this proves Pelosi and Amash lied about Barr
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) May 29, 2019
To impeach, or not to impeach
By specifically pointing out that the special counsel didn’t levy charges at Trump due to longstanding DOJ policy not to prosecute a sitting president, Mueller effectively laid out a path to impeachment for Democrats to follow.
“It wasn’t lack of evidence. It was DOJ policy” tweeted Rep. Val Demings (R-FL).
Special Counsel Robert Mueller just said that “charging the president with a crime was not an option we could consider” under DOJ policy.
It wasn’t lack of evidence. It was DOJ policy.
He said that this “deserves the attention of every American.” He’s right. Congress must act.
— Rep. Val Demings (@RepValDemings) May 29, 2019
Mueller’s refusal to testify also puts House Democrats in a tough spot. With a growing number of Democratic lawmakers pushing for leadership to launch impeachment proceedings, Pelosi and House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York are now left to decide whether Mueller gave them enough ammunition to move forward without his testimony, which Pelosi said would have been useful.
Pelosi on Mueller testimony: “Yes, I think it would be useful for him to testify before Congress,”
— Phil Mattingly (@Phil_Mattingly) May 29, 2019
Rep. Eric Swalwell told CNN that “Seeing is believing…hearing Bob Mueller raise his right hand, testify to Congress, seeing the news capture that, that would be quite illuminating for most Americans.” In other words, Mueller’s refusal to testify will now be blamed for robbing Democrats of their opportunity to impeach, if they choose not to move forward with that option.
House Judiciary Committee member Rep. Eric Swalwell on hearing Mueller’s testimony: “Seeing is believing…hearing Bob Mueller raise his right hand, testify to Congress, seeing the news capture that, that would be quite illuminating for most Americans” https://t.co/LGa45W2peP pic.twitter.com/Yac6o7Tmqt
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) May 29, 2019
In Wednesday comments, Nadler was far more confrontational than Pelosi – saying that “All options are on the table and nothing should be ruled out” in terms of impeachment, adding “not event the president of the United States is above the law.”
Staging a press conference Wednesday afternoon in New York, Nadler was similarly vague, sidestepping questions about whether he will compel Mueller’s testimony with a congressional subpoena.
“Mr. Mueller told us a lot of what we need to hear today,” Nadler said.
Before Mueller’s remarks, at least 37 House Democrats were on record backing the launch of an impeachment inquiry into Trump. Afterward, Reps. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) and Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) added their names to the list, though most Democratic lawmakers responded by holding firm to Pelosi’s favored approach of continuing with investigations without making the leap to impeachment. –The Hill
“We must remain committed to aggressively investigating the president’s wrongdoing and we will not rest until the American people have answers,” insisted Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA), vice chairwoman of the Democratic Caucus – who apparently presumes guilt until proven innocent.
So Democrats are left with a special counsel who won’t testify, and who just gave the left plenty of ammunition to impeach since Mueller implied that Trump may have committed crimes. And if they do launch impeachment proceedings, they might reach the Senate just in time for Trump to be vindicated in the court of public opinion.
via ZeroHedge News http://bit.ly/2HK52xK Tyler Durden