Trump Objects To Mueller Testimony Before Congress

Special counsel Bob Mueller has tentatively agreed to testify on his report before the House Judiciary Committee on May 15 and president Donald Trump is opposing this move.

Mueller's appearance before the House Judiciary Committee will allow lawmakers to hear from the special counsel on the investigation he led for the past two years. Mueller has declined to comment on his May 15 appearance.

A tweet rant by Trump on Sunday contradicted his statements made Friday he’d leave the decision as to whether Mueller should testify before Congress to attorney general William Barr. In his Senate testimony last week, Barr said he has “no objections” to Mueller testifying.

Trump’s twin tweets said Mueller shouldn’t appear before the House Judiciary Committee, which is controlled by Democrats. He asked why the committee needs Mueller's testimony after the former FBI director ended his two-year investigation into allegations of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign during the 2016 presidential campaign and transition.

"Are they looking for a redo because they hated seeing the strong NO COLLUSION conclusion? There was no crime, except on the other side (incredibly not covered in the Report), and NO OBSTRUCTION," he wrote, adding, "No redos for the Dems!"

Trump’s Sunday rant came days after House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) said he hoped Mueller would appear before Congress on May 15.

Trump’s statements drew an immediate rebuttal from House Democrats.

“Barr’s testimony alone -- designed to protect Trump -- isn’t going to cut it,” tweeted House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) on Sunday. “The American people deserve the truth.”

House Democrats are eager to get more information from Mueller on his recently completed Russia investigation. The Department of Justice (DoJ) released a redacted version of the special counsel's long awaited findings in April.

Last week, House Judiciary Democrats released a letter Mueller sent to Barr on March 27, after Barr had released a four-page summary of the 448-page report. In the letter, Mueller said Barr’s summary “did not fully capture the context, nature and substance” of his full report.

Trump’s tweets on Sunday also places him at odds with some House Republicans who have indicated their support for Mueller to testify.

“I write encouraging you to invite special council Robert S. Mueller III to testify before our committee without delay,” wrote Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), a ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee in April.

“If you seek both transparency and for the American public to learn the full contours of the special council’s investigation, public testimony from special council Mueller himself is undoubtedly the best way to accomplish this goal.”