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John Dean Criticizes Mueller for Not Subpoenaing Trump

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Former Nixon White House counsel John Dean told CNN that special counsel Robert Mueller not pursuing a subpoena for President Trump was akin to not pursuing the Nixon tapes containing his conversations about the Watergate scandal.

Said Dean: “This is a man who if it had been Richard Nixon, wouldn’t go after the tapes because it would take too long. And I think that’s something that’s going to hang over this investigation, hang over Mueller, because he really didn’t vigorously pursue it as he might’ve.”

Some Thoughts Ahead of the Mueller Hearing

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After months of negotiations, special counsel Robert Mueller will finally testify before Congress on his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections and whether President Trump obstructed the probe.

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FBI Director Admits He Hasn’t Read Mueller Report

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FBI Director Christopher Wray admitted that he hasn’t “read every single word” of the Mueller report, CBS News reports.

“That puts Wray on the list of top government officials who have said they didn’t real all, or any, of the special counsel’s findings on Russian election interference and President Trump’s 2016 campaign.”

Said Wray: “I’ve reviewed it. I wouldn’t say I’ve read every single word.”


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Justice Department Tells Mueller to Limit His Testimony

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“Justice Department officials have communicated to Robert Mueller that the department expects him to limit his congressional testimony this week to the public findings of his 448-page report,” Politico reports.

“In extensive discussions since the former special counsel was subpoenaed to testify on June 25, department officials have emphasized that they consider any evidence he gathered throughout the course of his investigation to be ‘presumptively privileged’ and shielded from public disclosure.”

Trump Plans ‘Executive Time’ During Mueller Hearing

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“The White House and President Trump’s re-election campaign plan to tune in Wednesday to watch former special counsel Robert Mueller’s congressional testimony without a coordinated plan to counter the appearance ahead of time, according to multiple officials involved in those discussions,” NBC News reports.

“The president himself is expected to monitor the hearings from the White House as Mueller answers questions about the Russia investigation, according to campaign aides, much like he has done with similar events in the past. His schedule for that day only includes a routine lunch with the vice president, and aides point to his morning ‘executive time’ as a natural window for Trump to take in snippets of the coverage.”

“But when asked directly by reporters last week if he intended to tune in, the president claimed he ‘won’t be watching.'”

Trump Says Mueller Must Stick to Report

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President Trump tweeted that former special counsel Robert Mueller must stick to his report’s findings when he testifies to Congress later this month.

Said Trump: “Robert Mueller is being asked to testify yet again. He said he could only stick to the Report, & that is what he would and must do. After so much testimony & total transparency, this Witch Hunt must now end. No more Do Overs. No Collusion, No Obstruction. The Great Hoax is dead!”

Nadler Could Subpoena Mueller Within Two Weeks

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“House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler told Democratic leaders at a closed-door meeting this week that he could issue a subpoena to Robert Mueller within two weeks if he is unable to reach an agreement to secure the former special counsel’s public testimony,” Politico reports.

“Nadler’s comments at the Tuesday meeting were his clearest remarks to date on the possibility of compelling Mueller’s attendance at a public hearing.”

Hoyer Says Mueller May Be Subpoenaed

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House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said that Congress should subpoena special counsel Robert Mueller if necessary to get him to testify, The Hill reports.

Said Hoyer: “I think he ought to testify. He may want a subpoena, for all I know. He indicated that his report speaks for itself. Very frankly… questioning is an important fact-finding pursuit.”

Christie Says Mueller Clearly Contradicted Barr

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Former Gov. Chris Christie (R) said that special counsel Robert Mueller contradicted Attorney General William Barr in comments earlier that morning, The Hill reports.

Said Christie: “Those comments by Bob Mueller about the other processes — obviously impeachment being the only constitutional way — definitely contradicts what the attorney general said when he summarized Mueller’s report and said he then had to draw the conclusion on that. Mueller clearly contradicts that today in a very concise way.”

The 2020 Election Is About Bringing Trump to Justice

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This piece is only available to Political Wire members.

In his first-ever public comment on his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, special counsel Robert Mueller said that Justice Department policy prevented him from charging President Trump with a crime.

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Mueller and House Democrats at an Impasse

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“Robert Mueller and House Democrats have been unable to reach an agreement on how much of the special counsel’s expected congressional testimony would be public, and how much would take place in private,” the Washington Post reports.

“The special counsel’s office has been quietly negotiating with the House Judiciary Committee, whose chairman, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), has been eager to have Mueller testify as soon as possible.”

“Mueller… would like for any discussions beyond the public contents of his report to be conducted in private. Democrats want to press Mueller in a nationally-televised hearing about a host of issues, including whether he thought President Trump could or should be charged with obstruction if he were not the president, and whether Mueller agreed with Attorney General William Barr’s handling of the investigation’s findings.”

CNN: “The special counsel’s team has expressed the notion that Mueller does not want to appear political after staying behind the scenes for two years and not speaking as he conducted his investigation into President Trump.”

How Robert Mueller Testifies

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Darren Samuelsohn: “It’s impossible to know how Mueller will respond to questions Democratic and GOP lawmakers are teeing up for him. But when it comes to the character at the center of the drama, there’s actually some evidence for how it’s going to go. Over his most recent 12 years in public life, as the FBI director under two presidential administrations, Mueller testified more than 50 times before Congress… They’re all archived on C-SPAN—more than 140 hours of video footage starring the man Americans have been waiting to hear from.”

“I watched more than 20 hours of that footage, a representative sample of big and small hearings on a range of issues spanning the George W. Bush and Obama administrations, before both friendly and hostile lawmakers.”

America Waits for Bob Mueller to Speak

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Associated Press: “The release of a redacted version of Mueller’s 448-page report last month offered a long-awaited moment of closure for many — and an utterly unsatisfying cliffhanger for plenty of others.”

“Three weeks of public parsing and analysis have left them wondering just what Mueller was trying to say and what he really thinks, particularly on the question of obstruction, where the document drew no conclusion. That uncertainty has given partisans on both sides an opening to frame Mueller’s findings to their liking and left many Americans, unlikely to read the full report, scratching their heads about what to believe and whom to trust.”

“Enough with the printed page, they say, enough with the punditry: Speak, Bob, speak!”

Majority of Americans Want to Hear from Mueller

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A new Economist/YouGov Poll finds that a 54% of Americans agree with congressional Democrats about wanting to hear from special counsel Robert Mueller himself about the Russia investigation and its findings, while just 20% disagree.

Also interesting: By 54% to 22%, Americans want the full Mueller report released to Congress.

Barr Still Controls Whether Mueller Can Testify

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Associated Press: “While Mueller is a Justice Department employee, the department would generally handle requests for him to appear before Congress, and the Justice Department could delay or block Mueller from voluntarily appearing. Congress could issue a subpoena to compel him to appear before the committee. It isn’t clear what grounds the Justice Department would use to justify an attempt to block Mueller’s testimony.”

“As a private citizen, Mueller could decide whether to accept an invitation to appear or, if he declines, whether to attempt to resist any effort to subpoena him.”

McConnell Will Argue Russia Probe Is Over

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is expected to give a speech Tuesday declaring that special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference is over, despite House Democrats pursuing more information, USA Today reports.

McConnell is expected to say: “Case closed.”

“McConnell will compare Democratic complaints over the need to continue the 22-month investigation to the movie Groundhog Day, where the protagonist repeats the same day repetitively. He will also call efforts for continued investigation ‘unhinged partisanship’ that would keep the country divided.”

About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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