Team Trump Now Wants Mueller to Testify Before Congress in Hopes of a Grilling

[DonViejo]

The president has said he doesn’t want the special counsel to talk on the Hill. But after Mueller’s statement Wednesday, Trump’s team is itching for it.

Sam Stein, Asawin Suebsaeng
05.30.19 7:20 PM ET

President Trump’s close advisers are increasingly pining for Robert Mueller to be dragged before Congress and subjected to conservative lawmakers’ questions about the conduct and outcome of his investigation.

Their embrace of such a hearing is a sharp reversal in White House sentiment over the past few weeks since the release of the special counsel’s report. Trump himself has come out against Mueller testifying before Congress, and key Republicans on Capitol Hill have followed suit by stating that the issue is effectively “closed.”

But those positions have softened, if not changed, significantly after Mueller’s public statement on Wednesday, in which he stated that he would have exonerated Trump if he could have and said that he was prohibited by Department of Justice guidelines from bringing charges against a sitting president.

“If they allow [GOP Reps.] Meadows and Jordan and few of the others there, they’ll eviscerate him more than they did Michael Cohen,” said Rudy Giuliani, President Trump’s personal attorney during and after the Mueller probe. Giuliani said it would be “emotionally satisfying to have” Mueller testify and that “in terms of the politics of it, I would love to have him testify. I think he’s afraid to.”

The former New York City mayor and current Trump lawyer said he’d spoken to the president both before and after Mueller’s televised statement to the press. Asked to describe Trump’s views, Giuliani told The Daily Beast that all he could say was, “I can sum up his feelings as: Nothing new, no new facts, it’s all smoke and mirrors, so what?” Of Mueller’s conduct, he added: “I’m angrier about this than [Trump] is.”

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https://www.thedailybeast.com/team-trump-now-wants-mueller-to-testify-before-congress-in-hopes-of-a-grilling?ref=home

[wryter2000]

1. They're delusional

Meadows and Jordan couldn't lay a glove on Mueller. But I'd love to see them force him to testify.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

2. Is they because they saw how nervous he seemed when he spoke the other day?

I wonder if they'd be so anxious for him to testify if Mueller had come off very decisive and commanding instead.

[Clarity2]

3. They are trying

to use reverse psychology to prevent mueller from testifying. Gym Jordon et al just make themselves look more unhinged whenever they question witnesses.

[uponit7771]

4. Hmmmm, Mueller's presser must have left a mark

[JDC]

5. Pure posturing. They would hate him to testify publicly.

[procon]

6. As usual, Republicans are looking for catchy

sound bites that will impress the rubes back home and play well in fundraising emails.

They will yell questions at Mueller from their standard selection of wornout anti-Hillary-Obama-Dem tropes that have nothing to do with his mandate. They really don't care what Mueller might say, they just want the video clips of them lambasting him and screeching criticisms about the intelligence agencies and denigrating the FBI career staff.

They are more interested in trying to look and sound like big, badassed, tough guys who aren't as askeered of going mano y mano with Mueller, the exMarine who is a guenuinely authentic tough guy.

[NightWatcher]

7. Wait, trumpers want to throw Brer Rabbit (Mueller) into the briars.

Couldn't his opening statement be simply to have the full, unredacted report read into the record?

Oh please do. This would backfire so epically and wonderfully for them.

[Tech]

9. Agree, get interacted report before anything else.

[standingtall]

8. This feels like it could be a mistake by republicans if their serious

house republicans cannot subpoena anybody. So it would be the republican Senate that would have to do it. We want Mueller to testify before congress, but we run the risk of looking like we are trying to bully him by using subpoena, but if Senate republicans do it first that will give us cover. I also think Mueller should be more inclined to testify before the Democratic controlled House if he has to testify before the republican Senate. Btw the only thing Jordan and Meadows will do if Mueller testifies is make themselves look like idiots.