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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Maanvi Singh in San Francisco (now) and Joan E Greve in Washington (earlier)

Mueller warns of Russian meddling in 2020: 'They're doing it as we sit here' – as it happened

Summary

The Mueller hearings dominated our day but were by no means the only news today.

Here’s our Wednesday summary:

  • Democratic leaders in Congress, including Nancy Pelosi, said during a press conference that the Mueller hearings were just part of a case that she and her colleagues are building against Trump.
  • During their own press conference following the Mueller hearings, Republican lawmakers urged their Democratic colleagues to put the Trump investigations behind them once and for all. “Now it’s time to build up America,” said House minority leader Kevin McCarthy, “and turn the page.”
  • Trump criticized the hearings, and the probe itself, saying “Robert Mueller did a poor job, but in all fairness, he had nothing to work with.”
  • Several 2020 Democratic candidates reiterated their support for impeachment following Mueller’s testimony.
  • Facebook had a big day — reporting soaring revenues, even as it faces investigation.
  • In Puerto Rico, lawmakers indicated that they would go forward with impeachment proceedings against disgraced governor Ricardo Rosselló, unless he resigned tonight. Rosselló is expected to make an announcement later tonight but it’s unclear whether he will step down, or double down. Watch for Guardian updates later today.

Updated

A federal judge in California has ordered a preliminary injunction, blocking the Trump administration from enforcing new rules that end asylum protections for almost all migrants who arrive at the US-Mexico border

The order reads: “Rule is likely invalid because the government’s decision to promulgate it was arbitrary and capricious.”

Several Democratic presidential candidates have renewed their support for impeachment, The Guardian’s Lauren Gambino reports:

Democratic 2020 presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren urged the House of Representatives to rise “above politics” and launch impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump after the former special counsel Robert Mueller testified that his report on Russian election interference did not exonerate the president.

Several leading Democratic presidential candidates renewed support for impeachment proceedings one day after the NAACP, America’s oldest and largest civil rights organization, voted unanimously for the impeachment of Trump at their annual conference in Detroit, where several 2020 candidates spoke on Wednesday.

It seems Donald Trump has vetoed bipartisan attempts to block arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

From Bloomberg:

President Donald Trump vetoed three bipartisan measures passed by Congress intended to block arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the White House said in a statement.

“This resolution would weaken America’s global competitiveness and damage the important relationships we share with our allies and partners,” Trump said in a message to lawmakers released by the White House on Wednesday.


Republican leaders in the House of Representatives gave their own press conference.

House minority leader Kevin McCarthy said he could tell the Democratic leaders were disappointed with Mueller’s testimony, because he “watched their body language,” during their press conference.

Jim Jordan, a Republican on the House oversight committee added that the president had been falsely accused.

McCarthy said it was time for Democrats to put the investigations against Trump behind them. “Now it’s time to build up America,” he said, “and turn the page.”

Updated

Adam Schiff, Nancy Pelosi, Elijah Cummings, Jerry Nadler hold a news conference following the Mueller hearings.
Adam Schiff, Nancy Pelosi, Elijah Cummings, Jerry Nadler hold a news conference following the Mueller hearings. Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/AP

House leader Nancy Pelosi, who has been criticized by fellow Democrats for dragging her feet on impeachment, said today’s hearings are all part of a case that Democratic leaders are building — but that case still isn’t strong enough.

“Whatever decision we make in that regard would have to be done with our strongest possible hand, and we still have some outstanding matters in the courts,” she said.

To continue building a case against Trump, Jerry Nadler indicated that Democrats will pursue Mueller’s grand jury materials and to work to enforce a subpoena against former White House counsel Don McGahn.

“If we have a case for impeachment, that’s the place we will have to go,” Pelosi said. “The stronger our case is, the worse the Senate will look for letting the president off the hook.”

She added: “The facts and the law that’s what matters, not politics, not partisanship.”

Updated

In opening statements, representative Elijah Cummings, who heads the oversight committee, said that investigating Trump is “not about not liking the president, it’s about loving democracy, it’s about loving our country.”

“I’m begging the American people to pay attention to what is going on,” Cummings said, “if you want to have a democracy intact.”

Democratic leaders debrief on Mueller hearings

“It’s been a pretty interesting day,” Nancy Pelosi says, speaking alongside judiciary and intelligence committee chairs Jerry Nadler and Adam Schiff, and oversight committee chairman Elijah Cummings. Watch the press conference here.

Updated

Another lawmaker has come out in support of impeaching Trump.

Democratic congresswoman Lori Trahan of Massachusetts appears to be the first member of the House to hop on the impeachment bandwagon following Mueller’s testimonies today.

Per my count, we’re now at 1 independent and 93 Democratic members of Congress now publicly supporting an impeachment. To pass articles of impeachment against Trump, at least 218 representatives would have to vote in favor.

Updated

Trump challenger Bill Weld warns that refusing to condemn the president’s racism would cost Republicans.

From The Guardian’s Lauren Gambino who is at the NAACP-hosted town hall in Detroit, Michigan:

Former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld, who is challenging Donald Trump for the Republican nomination, warned that his party’s refusal to condemn the president’s racism could inflict lasting damage.

“Unless the national Republican Party in Washington expressly, expressly rejects the racism of Donald Trump, it will become universally viewed as the party of racism in America,” Weld said at a presidential town hall hosted by the NAACP in Detroit.

How to respond to Trump was “not a political choice” but “a moral choice,” Weld said.

Weld is the only Republican challenging Trump for the nomination, a reality that underscores the president’s enduring popularity with the party’s base. Trump’s most outspoken critics in Congress have virtually all resigned or lost re-election – a warning sign to any member who considers speaking out.
After Trump’s attacks on four congresswomen of color last week, most Republicans simply shrugged.

A Reuters poll found that Trump’s support among Republicans climbed in the days after he told lawmakers to “go back” to the countries where they are from, a slur that is often directed at non-white Americans and immigrants. All four Democratic congresswomen – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley – are US citizens and only one, Omar, was not born in the US.

Updated

Trump comments on the Mueller hearings

Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Donald Trump said, of the Mueller investigation: “This whole thing has been three years of embarrassment and waste of time for our country.”

He added that he thought the Democrats, in questioning Mueller, “hurt themselves very badly for 2020.” He accused the Democrats of “colluding” with the media and repeated several times that his opponents are going to “lose very badly” in upcoming elections.

The president also criticized the probe itself, saying “Robert Mueller did a poor job, but in all fairness, he had nothing to work with.”

When a reporter asked him if he was worried about being indicted once he leaves office, he characterized the reporter as “fake news.”

You can watch the press conference here.

Updated

It’s been a big day for Facebook. The company has reported soaring revenues, even as it faces investigation.

From The Guardian’s Julia Carrie Wong:

Two giant fines by US government agencies totaling $5.1bn could not derail Facebook’s financial juggernaut on Wednesday, as the company reported revenues of $16.9bn in the second quarter of 2019, exceeding analyst expectations.

The social media company’s regulatory concerns are by no means over, however. Facebook also disclosed on Wednesday that the FTC informed it in June that it has opened an antitrust investigation into the company. This follows the Department of Justice’s announcement of a broad antitrust review of online platforms on Tuesday.

The one-time costs of the two settlements depressed Facebook’s profits for the second quarter in a row – the company recorded a $3bn expense last quarter in anticipation of a major fine – but revenue growth remained strong, at 28% year-over-year.

Updated

What a Wednesday indeed! We’ll have more updates on and analysis of the Mueller testimony throughout the rest of the day.

Meanwhile, an update from Puerto Rico:

The Puerto Rican legislature has announced that it will begin impeachment proceedings for disgraced governor Ricardo Rosselló unless he resigns, according to journalists reporting from the US territory.

Lawyers commissioned by the president of Puerto Rico’s House of Representatives found multiple offenses that constitute grounds for impeachment, according to Telemundo. Local media reported earlier today that Rosselló is expected to resign from office today after almost two weeks of continuous protest on the island.

Updated

That’s it from me after the longest Wednesday of the year. Although, in the Trump era, next Wednesday could easily claim that title.

Here are some of the most important points Mueller made this afternoon:

  • The special counsel emphasized that Russian election interference remains ongoing. “It wasn’t a single attempt. They’re doing it as we sit here,” Mueller said of Russia’s efforts. “And they expect to do it during the next campaign.” He later expressed fear that foreign election interference was “the new normal.”
  • Mueller said in response to a question from Democratic representative Val Demings that it was “generally” fair to say Trump’s written answers to the special counsel showed signs of being untruthful.
  • He criticized Trump’s praise of WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign after the website shared hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee. “Problematic is an understatement,” Mueller said of Trump’s laudatory comments.
  • Trump appeared triumphant after the hearings arguably produced no major bombshell moments. The president tweeted minutes ago, “TRUTH IS A FORCE OF NATURE!”
  • But Mueller made a point to contradict Trump’s repeated claims that his investigation constituted a “witch hunt.” Answering a question from House intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff, Mueller said, “It is not a witch hunt.”

And over at the White House, first lady Melania Trump is focused on a much more pressing matter today: holiday decorations.

I’m signing off until tomorrow. I leave the blog in the capable hands of West Coast reporter Maanvi Singh.

Mueller says it is 'generally' fair to say Trump's answers were not always truthful

Moments ago, Mueller said in response to a question from a Democratic congresswoman that it was “generally” fair to say that Trump’s written answers were not always truthful.

Representative Val Demings, a Democrat of Florida, was asking about Trump’s credibility in terms of the written answers he provided to the special counsel.

“Isn’t it fair to say [Trump’s] written answers were not only inadequate and incomplete because he didn’t answer many of your questions, but where he did, his answers show that he wasn’t always being truthful?” Demings asked.

“Generally,” Mueller replied.

Updated

Mueller hearings conclude

After nearly seven hours, the Mueller hearings have ended.

Updated

Mueller explains he didn't subpoena Trump because of the expectation he would fight it

Mueller said he chose not to subpoena Trump for the special counsel’s probe “because of the necessity of expediting the end of the investigation.”

While noting that his office initially wanted to interview Trump, the special counsel said, “The expectation was that, if we did subpoena the president, he would fight the subpoena, and we would be in the midst of the investigation for a substantial period of time.”

Representative Sean Maloney, a Democrat of New York, then asked Mueller what he thought of Trump’s written responses to questions from the special counsel’s office. “It was certainly not as useful as the interview would be,” Mueller said.

Maloney also said that the president’s answers included more than 30 instances of Trump responding to questions by claiming he couldn’t recall.

Updated

Mueller on Russian election interference: "They're doing it as we sit here"

Mueller emphasized in his testimony to the House intelligence committee that Russian election interference remains ongoing.

Representative Will Hurd, a Republican of Texas, asked the special counsel if his investigation turned up any evidence that Russia would again try to interfere in US elections.

“It wasn’t a single attempt. They’re doing it as we sit here,” Mueller responded. “And they expect to do it during the next campaign.”

“I hope this is not the new normal, but I fear it is,” Mueller added later in response to a separate question about election interference from Peter Welch, a Democrat of Vermont.

Updated

Trump’s lawyer, Jay Sekulow, said in a statement that Mueller’s testimony revealed the “troubling deficiencies of the special counsel’s investigation.”

“The testimony revealed that this probe was conducted by a small group of politically biased prosecutors who, as hard as they tried, were unable to establish either obstruction, conspiracy, or collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia,” the president’s lawyer said. “The American people understand that this issue is over. They also understand that the case is closed.”

Mueller confirmed, in response to a question from Democratic representative Eric Swalwell, that the special counsel’s investigation “was hampered by Trump campaign officials’ use of encryption communications.”

“We believe that to be the case,” Mueller replied to Swalwell.

This is from Mueller’s report on some Trump campaign officials’ use of encrypted communication apps:

Further, the Office learned that some of the individuals we interviewed or whose conduct we investigated-including some associated with the Trump Campaign — deleted relevant communications or communicated during the relevant period using applications that feature encryption or that do not provide for long-term retention of data or communications records. In such cases, the Office was not able to corroborate witness statements through comparison to contemporaneous communications or fully question witnesses about statements that appeared inconsistent with other known facts.

Trump "triumphant" after Mueller's morning hearing

CNN is reporting that Trump’s mood has noticeably improved after Mueller’s appearance before the House judiciary committee.

Reporter Kaitlan Collins said the president’s reaction to the special counsel’s testimony has been “triumphant.” Trump has also kept up his Twitter activity, resharing messages from congressional allies criticizing Mueller and his team.

And the communications director of Trump’s re-election campaign said Democrats were getting “routed” in the hearings.

Updated

Mueller denies that the special counsel's office leaked to the media

Mueller took serious issue with a claim from representative Chris Stewart, a Republican of Utah, that the special counsel’s office was leaking during its investigation.

The special counsel’s office was infamous in Washington for being leak-proof, but Stewart pointed to news reports about the investigation to argue that members of Mueller’s team were sharing information with reporters.

“I do not believe that,” Mueller told Stewart. “From the outset, we’d undertaken to make certain that we minimized the possibility of leaks. I think we were successful over the two years we were in operation.”

Mueller on Trump's praise of WikiLeaks: "Problematic is an understatement"

Mueller described Trump’s 2016 praise of WikiLeaks as, at the very least, problematic.

Representative Mike Quigley, a Democrat of Illinois, documented the many instances of Trump applauding the website after it leaked emails from the Democratic National Committee during the 2016 campaign.

Quigley then turned to Mueller, who said of Trump’s repeated praise, “Problematic is an understatement ... in terms of giving some hope or some boost to what is and should be illegal activity.”

Updated

Mueller told representative Jackie Speier, a Democrat of California, that he hopes his report serves as a “message to those who come after us”.

Asked what he wanted the American people to glean from his report, Mueller called it “a signal, a flag, to those of us who have some responsibility in this area, to exercise those responsibilities swiftly and don’t let this problem continue to linger.”

Representative Mark Meadows, a Republican of North Carolina and a close ally of Trump, was seen at the White House a few minutes ago, per a CNN reporter.

Meadows sat in on Mueller’s hearing before the House judiciary committee this morning and has been tweeting about his testimony all day, accusing the special counsel of having no control over his team.

Our colleague Sabrina Siddiqui analyzes several of the key takeaways from Mueller’s morning testimony:

  • Trump was not exonerated.
  • Mueller and his team were never going to indict Trump.
  • Trump could be charged with a crime after leaving office.
  • Republicans focused on discrediting Mueller.
  • Mueller says he did not seek FBI director job.
  • Mueller confirms several episodes of possible obstruction.

Representative Mike Turner, a Republican of Ohio, brought out a sign with a CNN chyron to grill Mueller on his comments about exoneration.

The special counsel said during his testimony before the House judiciary committee that his report did not exonerate Trump of obstruction of justice. Republicans are now arguing that it was not Mueller’s call whether or not to exonerate the president.

Mueller also confirmed that Trump’s claims of Russian interference being a hoax were false.

“When the president said the Russian interference was a hoax, that was false wasn’t it?” Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the intelligence committee, asked.

Mueller replied, “True.”

Mueller confirmed that Russians meant to aid Trump with their election interference, which included the hacking of emails from the Democratic National Committee.

“Which presidential candidate was Russia’s hacking-and-dumping scheme intended to benefit?” asked representative Jim Himes, a Democrat from Connecticut.

Mueller replied, “Mr. Trump.”

Mueller: "It is not a witch hunt"

Under questioning from the chairman of the intelligence committee, Mueller contradicted Trump’s repeated claims that his investigation was a “witch hunt.”

“It is not a witch hunt,” the special counsel told Adam Schiff.

Updated

Mueller corrects his comments to Lieu

Mueller opened his appearance before the House intelligence committee by correcting his earlier comments to Democratic representative Ted Lieu.

While testfiying before the House judiciary committee this morning, Mueller seemed to imply that he would have charged Trump if he were not a sitting president. A longstanding policy from the Office of Legal Counsel warns against indicting sitting presidents.

Lieu asked Mueller this morning, “The reason you did not indict Donald Trump... is because of the OLC decision. Is that correct?” Mueller replied, “That is correct.”

But Mueller corrected himself before the intelligence committee. He said that the OLC policy in fact prevented him from making a determination on whether Trump should be charged.

That correction is sure to disappoint pro-impeachment Democrats, given that the moment was widely shared on social media and considered by many to be a boost to their cause.

Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House intelligence committee, used his opening statement to accuse Trump’s campaign of “disloyalty to country.”

“Those are strong words, but how else are we to describe a presidential campaign which did not inform the authorities of a foreign offer of dirt on their opponent, which did not publicly shun it, or turn it away, but which instead invited it, encouraged it, and made full use of it?” Schiff said.

Schiff concluded by saying, “This is what is at stake. Our next election, and the one after that, for generations to come. Our democracy. This is why your work matters, Mr. Mueller. This is why our investigation matters. To bring these dangers to light.”

Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the panel, expressed hope in his opening statement that the hearing would bring about a permanent end to probes into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia. He dismissed Mueller’s appearance as the “last gasp of the Russian collusion conspiracy theory.”

Updated

Trump thanks Democrats for holding the Mueller hearings

Trump has weighed in over Twitter once again on Mueller’s congressional testimony, thanking Democrats for inviting the special counsel to Capitol Hill.

Echoing the statement from his press secretary, Trump dismissed the hearings as “an embarrassment.”

White House: Mueller testimony has been "epic embarrassment"

The White House dismissed Mueller’s morning testimony before the House judiciary committee as an “epic embarrassment.”

“The last three hours have been an epic embarrassment for the Democrats,” press secretary Stephanie Grisham said. “Expect more of the same in the second half.”

Trump appears to be glued to the hearings, retweeting conservative commentary reiterating the president’s dubious claims of “no obstruction” and “no collusion.”

Bernard Madoff, who fleeced investors of billions of dollars in the largest Ponzi scheme in history, has filed a petition with the US justice department asking Donald Trump to reduce Madoff’s sentence.

Madoff, who pleaded guilty to running a $64.8bn Ponzi scheme in 2009, is not asking for a pardon from the president, but for a commutation of his 150-year prison sentence.

The Department of Justice website shows Madoff requested his sentence be commuted and lists the status of the request as “pending.”

It is not known whether Trump will consider the request.

Intelligence committee hearing begins

Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House intelligence committee, has gaveled in the second hearing of Mueller’s appearance.

The intelligence committee’s hearing with Mueller should soon get underway, and the panel’s questioning will ostensibly take a different focus than the judiciary committee’s.

Special counsel Robert Mueller walks during break in House judiciary committee hearing.
Special counsel Robert Mueller walks during break in House judiciary committee hearing. Photograph: Leah Millis/Reuters

Members of the intelligence committee are expected to question the special counsel about the first volume of his report, which described Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Mueller’s team found that Trump’s team was repeatedly in contact with Russian entities, but the special counsel crucially concluded that there was not enough evidence to bring conspiracy charges. The Republicans on the panel will almost certainly try to find as many ways as possible to have Mueller reiterate that his office chose not to bring charges.

Democrats will likely focus on the contacts Mueller’s team uncovered between Russian intermediaries and Trump’s campaign. Stay tuned.

Puerto Rico’s embattled governor Ricardo Rosselló is expected to resign from office today after almost two weeks of continuous protest in the US territory, according to local media.

Protesters demand resignation Of Puerto Rico’s governor Ricardo Rosselló in San Juan.
Protesters demand resignation of Puerto Rico’s governor Ricardo Rosselló in San Juan. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Rosselló has been at the centre of a leaked text message scandal, which has led to mass demonstration across the island. He has gradually lost the support of key figures in his ruling New Progressive Party and announced on Sunday he would not run for re-election in 2020.

The Guardian has not independently confirmed the reporting.

Earlier in the month hundreds of pages of leaked messages, published by the Centre of Investigative Journalism, revealed a slew of homophobic and misogynist remarks shared between the governor and 11 members of his inner circle. The messages also included a joke about dead bodies during hurricane Maria, which devastated the island in September 2017.

The messages drew bipartisan outrage on the island and have led to hundreds of thousands marching on the streets. On Monday, a general strike on the island led to the shutdown of a major highway in San Juan.

The governor has attempted to cling to power throughout the demonstrations, which have often been dispersed by police with tear gas and rubber bullets, but his position has looked increasingly untenable in recent days.

The Rosselló administration has been plagued by corruption and allegations of mismanagement during the response to hurricane Maria.

Although the Trump administration has stopped short of calling for Rosselló’s resignation, the president has frequently criticised the governor and lied about the federal government’s checkered record in assisting after the hurricane.

Puerto Rico’s economic affairs are overseen by an unelected fiscal control board, appointed in Washington, that has contributed to sweeping austerity and privatization on the island.

As we await the start of the intelligence committee hearing, here are some of the biggest points that Mueller made in his appearance before the judiciary committee.

  • He stuck to his commitment in his opening statement to adhere to the report and not discuss internal Justice Department matters.
  • But he did confirm that his report did not exonerate Trump of obstruction of justice.
  • Mueller acknowledged that Trump could be charged after he leaves office. The special counsel repeatedly cited a longstanding Justice Department policy not to indict sitting presidents.
  • In this exchange with Democratic representative Ted Lieu, Mueller seemed to indicate that Trump would have been indicted if not for that Justice Department policy.

It’s clear that all of Washington has its eyes on Mueller today. A New York Times photographer captured this picture from inside the judiciary committee hearing:

Judiciary committee hearing concludes

The judiciary committee has ended its hearing with Mueller, a mere half hour after expected.

The intelligence committee hearing was supposed to begin at noon, but that would have allowed Mueller a 20-minute break between hearings if the judiciary committee hearing had ended on time.

Stay tuned on when the intelligence committee starts its hearing.

Multiple Democratic presidential contenders are sticking by their previous recommendations for the House to start impeachment proceedings, echoing fellow fellow candidate Cory Booker.

Updated

The judiciary committee hearing with Mueller is still going, even though the intelligence committee’s hearing was set to begin at noon.

Judiciary committee chairman Jerry Nadler had asked the remaining Democrats on the panel to keep their questioning short, but that has predictably not panned out. The hearing is now at least 20 minutes over time.

“Excuse me, it’s my time,” Representative Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, told Mueller as the special counsel tried to make a point about Johnson’s “summary” of his testimony.

The judiciary committee hearing has already run long, and the intelligence committee hearing is supposed to begin in less than 10 minutes. Republicans now seem to have no concern about railroading Mueller in order to present his report in the most favorable light for Trump.

The final data on how much Mueller spoke during Republicans’ “questioning” should be interesting.

Mueller has taken on a harsher tone as he defends the integrity of the team that he compiled for the special counsel’s investigation.

Representative Kelly Armstrong, a Republican from North Dakota, has been taking up Trump’s mantle of accusing Mueller’s team of being a bunch of biased Democrats.

But Mueller is ardently standing by his employees, saying that he hired the best people for the job and that it has never been his practice to ask staffers about their political leanings.

Updated

Mueller’s confirmation that Trump could still be charged with obstruction of justice once he leaves the White House has rightfully raised eyebrows, and not least because of who prompted the remark: Republican representative Ken Buck.

Here’s what Twitter has had to say:

Mueller says he did not believe he was applying for the FBI director job

Mueller said he did not believe he was applying for the FBI director job when he spoke to Trump about the position just before he was appointed as special counsel.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that Mueller wanted the job of FBI director, which the special counsel held for 12 years and left in 2013.

The president and his Republican allies have repeatedly insinuated that Mueller was biased against Trump because he wanted to become FBI director again and was turned down.

But Mueller just told Representative Greg Steube, a Republican from Florida, that he did not believe he was applying for the job when he spoke to Trump. He thought he was simply offering the president input on who to choose for the position after firing Jim Comey.

Updated

Judiciary hearing likely to stretch long

Jerry Nadler, the Democratic chairman of the House judiciary committee, just asked the remaining members of the panel to shorten their questioning due to time constraints.

The hearing was supposed to last three hours, which would mean it would end at 11:40 a.m. given the panel’s 10-minute break. But the likelihood of lawmakers shortening their questioning of Mueller seems ... slim.

Here is Washington bureau chief David Smith’s report from inside the room at Mueller’s hearing:

No wonder Robert Mueller was a reluctant witness. Washington’s partisan divide is again on full display in the packed committee room 2141 in the Rayburn building on Capitol Hill at a hearing unlikely to change many minds.

Democrats are carefully guiding the former special counsel through Donald Trump’s various attempts to obstruct justice, including his effort to fire Mueller himself. Members are reading chunks of the report to him because he apparently declined to read it aloud:

The downside of this is that the words come out of politicians’ mouths rather than carrying the neutral authority of Mueller’s own voice. He generally offers little more than “Yes”, “True”, “Correct” or “I refer you to the report”. The central Democratic case appears to be: “No one is above the law.”

Republicans, for their part, have been grandstanding, often delivering speeches rather than asking questions, trying to chip away at Mueller’s credibility. They have suggested he overstepped by saying he could not exonerate Trump because he deserves the presumption of innocence as much as anyone else.

There are about 70 people, many of them young, squeezed into public seating behind Mueller and his aides, watched over by police officers. Reporters are typing on laptops to one side. Whoever is speaking is shown on big TV screens on the walls.

The only person who doesn’t want to be here is Mueller himself. Several times he has asked for questions to be repeated and he seems less familiar with his report than many of the members. Famously slow and methodical, these pinballing questions are not his forte. He is a star witness without star power.

Updated

Former federal prosecutor says Mueller came 'very very close' to saying Trump otherwise would have been indicted

Preet Bharara, a former US prosecutor who was fired by Trump, argued that Mueller nearly acknowledged that the president would have been indicted if he were not in office.

Citing an exchange between the special counsel and Representative Ted Lieu, a Democrat from California, Bharara said that Mueller was indicating that the only reason he didn’t charge Trump was because of a policy outlined by the Office of the Legal Counsel.

That OLC policy warns against indicting a sitting president. It reads: “The indictment or criminal prosecution of a sitting President would unconstitutionally undermine the capacity of the executive branch to perform its constitutionally assigned functions.”

Updated

Mueller: yes, Trump could be charged after leaving office

Mueller replied to a question from Representative Ken Buck, a Republican from Colorado, that Trump could be charged after he leaves office.

Mueller has repeatedly said he did not feel he could charge Trump because of longstanding Justice Department policy warning against indicting a sitting president. But that policy would no longer apply after Trump leaves office.

Updated

Trump again claims 'no obstruction', even as Mueller specifically says his report did not determine that

Trump has once again weighed in on Mueller’s hearing to repeat his claim of “no obstruction.”

But Mueller has over and over again in his testimony emphasized that he did not consider it his team’s responsibility to determine whether Trump obstructed justice.

Instead, Mueller laid out several instances in his report that may constitute obstruction of justice and left the decision up to Congress. He has also repeatedly emphasized that, in accordance with Justice Department policy, he did not believe he had the ability to indict a sitting president.

Updated

Mueller cites inability to indict sitting president

Under questioning from Representative Ken Buck, a Republican from Colorado, Mueller cited his inability to indict a sitting president.

“One of the tools that a prosecutor would use is not there,” Mueller said of his team’s considerations of Trump’s potential obstruction of justice.

Mueller was citing a long-standing Justice Department policy outlined by the Office of Legal Counsel. The official policy reads: “The indictment or criminal prosecution of a sitting President would unconstitutionally undermine the capacity of the executive branch to perform its constitutionally assigned functions.”

But, but, but: the special counsel noted that Trump could be charged after he left office.

Mueller has declined or deflected questions asked by House members 60 times already, according to a count by NBC News.

And CBS News noted that Mueller has provided one-word responses at least 41 times.

Updated

Mueller confirms Trump asked staff to falsify records

Mueller confirmed in response to a question from Representative Cedric Richmond, a Democrat from Louisiana, that Trump asked staff to falsify records connected to the special counsel’s investigation.

Booker: report is enough to start impeachment proceedings

Our colleague Lauren Gambino reports from the NAACP convention in Detroit that presidential candidate Cory Booker said Mueller’s report “is enough of an indication that the House of representatives should begin impeachment proceedings against the president.”

You can expect to hear that line a lot from pro-impeachment Democrats if Mueller’s hearing doesn’t produce any bombshell moments.

Updated

So far, Mueller’s testimony hasn’t advanced impeachment cause

There seems to be a general consensus building that Mueller has so far not helped the cause of pro-impeachment Democrats.

The special counsel’s answers have been slow and deliberate, and he has stuck to his commitment to avoid going beyond the details of his report. There have seemingly been no bombshell moments for pro-impeachment Democrats to point to in their argument to start an inquiry.

A longtime Washington Post congressional reporter put it bluntly:

Trump weighs in on Mueller's hearing

Unsurprisingly, the president is watching the special counsel’s hearing. He just tweeted a “quote” from Fox News anchor Chris Wallace. But Trump’s Twitter quotes should be taken with a grain of salt, given his penchant for being less than exact in his accuracy.

Key Trump ally hammers Mueller

Representative Jim Jordan, a close congressional ally of Trump, is pushing Mueller on the origins of the investigation, even though he specifically said he would not touch on that.

The mild-mannered Mueller adopted perhaps his harshest tone so far. “I’m not sure I agree with your characterizations,” Mueller told the Ohio Republican as he lambasted the investigation.

Jordan specifically dug into the role that Maltese professor Joseph Mifsud played in sparking the special counsel’s investigation. The Washington Post has more on Mifsud:

The Maltese-born academic has not surfaced publicly since [October 2017], days after Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about details of their interactions. Among them, Papadopoulos told investigators, was an April 2016 meeting in which Mifsud alerted him that the Russians had ‘dirt’ on Hillary Clinton in the form of ‘thousands of emails.’

The conversation between Mifsud and Papadopoulos, eventually relayed by an Australian diplomat to U.S. government officials, was cited by [Mueller] as the event that set in motion the FBI probe into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

With [Barr’s] review of the counterintelligence investigation underway, the origins of the inquiry itself are now in the spotlight — and with them, the role of Mifsud, a little-known figure.

In Mifsud’s absence, a number of President Trump’s allies and advisers have been floating a provocative theory: that the Maltese professor was a Western intelligence plant.

Updated

Mueller’s new tagline: ‘I can’t get into that’

Sticking to his opening statement, Mueller is strenuously avoiding discussing internal Justice Department deliberations.

Representative Martha Roby, a Republican from Alabama, repeatedly tried to press Mueller on his discussions with Attorney General William Barr after the completion of the special counsel’s investigation.

Democrats have criticized Barr for his characterization of Mueller’s report before the redacted version of it was publicly released. They claimed the attorney general had purposely tried to craft a public impression more favorable to Trump than the details of the report actually allowed.

Mueller sent a letter to Barr raising concerns about his summary of the report, a letter that was later leaked to the press. Roby asked Mueller about how the letter found its way into the press, but he declined to discuss that or anything else about his discussions with Barr after the investigation concluded. “I can’t get into that,” Mueller repeatedly told Roby.

Updated

Republican mentions Peter Strzok and Lisa Page

Well, that was predictable. Representative Louie Gohmert, a Republican from Texas, grilled Mueller on the anti-Trump views of former FBI agent Peter Strzok and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page.

While Strzok was working on the special counsel’s investigation, he exchanged text messages criticizing Trump with Page, with whom he was having an extramarital affair.

Republicans have repeatedly pointed toward Strzok’s anti-Trump views to argue that the probe was biased from the beginning.

But Mueller told the committee that he did not know Strzok hated Trump when he was hired and that the special counsel “acted swiftly” to remove him from the investigation once the messages were discovered.

Gohmert took less than kindly to Mueller’s responses, as a CNN reporter noted.

Updated

Mueller confirms no conflicts of interest

Mueller told the House judiciary committee that he had no conflicts of interest preventing him from serving as special counsel.

Trump has repeatedly claimed, most recently this morning, that Mueller was “highly conflicted,” in part because he applied to retake his post as FBI director. But there’s no evidence that Mueller wanted to become the director of the FBI again after serving in the post for 12 years.

Trump has also claimed other members of the special counsel’s teams were “Angry Democrats,” but Mueller used his opening statement to emphasize that all of his staffers were of the “highest integrity.”

So far, most Democrats on the House judiciary committee have used their time to confirm some of the most damning portions of Mueller’s report.

For example, Democratic Representative Hank Johnson is walking through Trump directing former White House counsel Don McGahn to fire the special counsel.

But Republicans like John Ratcliffe have largely used their time to question the scope of Mueller’s investigation and whether his probe followed Justice Department regulations.

Updated

Mueller dodges question on impeachable conduct

Mueller declined to say whether anything in the second volume of his report, which focuses on Trump’s potential obstruction of justice, is impeachable conduct.

“Our mandate does not go to other ways of addressing conduct,” Mueller said in response to a question from Representative Jim Sensenbrenner, a Republican.

Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democratic congresswoman from Texas, asked Mueller whether obstruction of justice would warrant substantial jail time.

“Yes,” Mueller replied.

Updated

John Ratcliffe, a Republican on the House judiciary committee, is using his five minutes of questions to ... not ask many questions.

Ratcliffe is emphasizing the presumption of innocence in the US justice system, arguing that that presumption extends to sitting presidents. And he is accusing the special counsel of violating every principle set forth for prosecutors.

His rant left little to no opportunity for Mueller to respond.

Updated

Mueller confirms his report did not exonerate Trump of obstruction of justice

Jerry Nadler, the chairman of the House judiciary committee, asked Mueller to confirm that his report did not exonerate the president, despite Trump’s repeated claims of “no collusion” and “no obstruction”.

“Did you actually totally exonerate the president?” Nadler asked. “No,” Mueller replied.

Mueller said, “It is correct that my report does not exonerate President Trump for obstruction of justice.”

Updated

Top Republican hammers 'no collusion' claim

Doug Collins, the top Republican on the House judiciary committee, is hammering Mueller on the distinction between the terms collusion and conspiracy.

“I’m reading your report, sir,” Collins said sternly as he noted the use of the term collusion in Mueller’s report, which the congressman said was equated to conspiracy.

The distinction may seem trivial, but it matters a great deal to Trump, who has started a mantra of “no collusion” to dismiss Mueller’s investigation. But the special counsel said in his opening statement that his report did not touch on collusion because it was “not a legal term.”

Updated

Nadler emphasizes Trump's refusal to be interviewed

Jerry Nadler, the Democratic chairman of the House judiciary committee, used his five minutes of questions to emphasize the president’s refusal to be interviewed.

Mueller confirmed that his office went back and forth with Trump’s team for months over an interview that never took place.

The special counsel used his opening statement to outline what his report did not cover ⁠– and by extension, what his testimony would not include.

“We did not address ‘collusion,’ which is not a legal term,” Mueller said. “Rather, we focused on whether the evidence was sufficient to charge any member of the campaign with taking part in a criminal conspiracy. It was not.”

He also said he would respect the Department of Justice’s requests limiting his testimony. “[T]he Justice Department has asserted privileges concerning investigative information and decisions, ongoing matters within the Justice Department, and deliberations within our office,” Mueller said. “These are Justice Department privileges that I will respect.”

He added, “I therefore will not be able to answer questions about certain areas that I know are of public interest. For example, I am unable to address questions about the opening of the FBI’s Russia investigation, which occurred months before my appointment, or matters related to the so-called ‘Steele Dossier.”

Updated

Mueller is sworn in and makes opening statement

Mueller has been sworn in and has made his opening statement, which he has used in part to note that his report does not touch on the matter of “collusion” because that is not a legal term.

Robert Mueller is sworn in for his testimony before Congress.
Robert Mueller is sworn in for his testimony before Congress. Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

Mueller notes that his appearance is “unusual” given his role as a prosecutor in this criminal case. And he emphasized that his testimony may be “limited” given that some details may affect “ongoing matters.”

He also noted he would not be able to address the opening of the investigation or the Steele dossier, surely disappointing Republicans who appeared to be trying to discredit the probe by arguing it was launched due to anti-Trump bias.

He then introduced his deputy, Aaron Zebley, who will be helping him answer questions. But reporting indicates that Zebley will not be answering any questions himself. And Mueller took pains to emphasize that members of the special counsel’s office were of the “highest integrity,” despite the president’s attacks upon them.

Updated

Top judiciary committee Republican reiterates Trump's 'no collusion' claim

Representative Doug Collins, the top Republican on the House judiciary committee, used his opening statement to emphasize Trump’s claims of “no collusion.”

“In fact, the report concludes no one in the president’s campaign colluded, collaborated or conspired with Russians,” Collins said. “The president watched the public narrative surrounding the investigation assume his guilt while he knew the extent of his innocence.”

Well, in fact, Mueller concluded that there wasn’t enough evidence of collusion to bring conspiracy charges, which is certainly different from the “no collusion” claims of the president.

Collins also said he looked forward to hearing about Mueller’s “review of the origins of this investigation,” indicating Republicans may try to argue that the probe was launched in bad faith.

Updated

House judiciary committee chairman kicks off back-to-back Mueller hearings

Jerry Nadler, the Democratic chairman of the House judiciary committee, has kicked off his panel’s hearing with Mueller by applauding the special counsel’s work and exemplary record of service.

Representative Jerrold Nadler listens during a House Committee on the Judiciary markup.
Representative Jerrold Nadler listens during a House Committee on the Judiciary markup. Photograph: REX/Shutterstock

“For 22 months, you never commented in public about your work—even when you were subjected to repeated and grossly unfair personal attacks. Instead, your indictments spoke for you, and in astonishing detail,” the New York congressman said. “Although Department policy barred you from indicting the President for this conduct, you made clear that he is not exonerated. Any other person who acted this way would have been charged with a crime. And in this nation, not even the President is above the law.”

We’re minutes away from the first hearing of Mueller’s appearance on Capitol Hill. The Guardian is streaming it live here.

The first hearing, before the House judiciary committee, is expected to focus on the second volume of Mueller’s report, which focuses on potential obstruction of justice.

Democrats are expected to push Mueller on whether he believes Trump would have been charged with obstruction of justice if he we not a sitting president. And Republicans are likely to emphasize that Mueller chose not to charge Trump with obstruction, even though the special counsel emphasized that he was not clearing him of that charge.

Updated

House Democrats are urging Mueller to ignore attempts by the Department of Justice and Attorney General William Barr to constrict what the special counsel tells the House committees this morning.

Attorney General William Barr waits to speak at the International Conference on Cyber Security in New York.
Attorney General William Barr waits to speak at the International Conference on Cyber Security in New York. Photograph: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

My colleague Jon Swaine reports:

Mueller was warned in a letter from the justice department late on Monday that his testimony on Capitol Hill ‘must remain within the boundaries’ of his investigation report, which was released to the public in April.

But Jerrold Nadler, the chairman of the House judiciary committee, said on Tuesday that Donald Trump and [Barr] had ‘repeatedly lied’ about Mueller’s findings and that Mueller should feel free to set the record straight.

‘He does not have to comply with that letter. He doesn’t work for them. And that letter asks things that are beyond the power of the agency to ask even if he still worked for them,’ Nadler told CNN.

But even if Mueller does strictly stick to the letter of his report, the hearing could still be “damning and explosive,” as Representative David Cicilline told Sabrina Siddiqui. That sentiment reflects many Democrats’ belief that the details of the report reflect so negatively upon Trump that they should be enough to begin impeachment proceedings, which dozens of House Democrats already back.

Updated

Trump on Mueller's investigation: but her emails!

Trump is still tweeting incessantly about Mueller’s investigation, despite previously saying that he didn’t plan to watch the special counsel’s testimony.

And the president’s first question: why didn’t you investigate Hillary Clinton about her email server? (Of course, Clinton’s use of a private email server as secretary of state was investigated and ended in 2016 without criminal charges.)

Trump also repeated his claim that Mueller asked him to become FBI director director, but there’s no evidence Mueller, who served as FBI director for 12 years, wanted the job again.

But Trump’s claims give some indication of how Republicans may handle Mueller’s testimony this morning. In addition to highlighting that the special counsel concluded there wasn’t enough evidence of collusion to bring conspiracy charges, House Republicans will likely try to deflect from the section of Mueller’s report dealing with potential obstruction of justice.

In his report, Mueller detailed 11 instances of potential obstruction of justice. The special counsel chose not to charge Trump with obstruction, at least partly because there is great legal debate around indicting a sitting president. He appeared to leave the decision of what to do with the obstruction evidence up to Congress ⁠— which brings us to today.

Updated

Mueller arrives on Capitol Hill

The special counsel has arrived on Capitol Hill, where he will testify first to the House Judiciary Committee in Room 2141 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

People have been camped out at the House overnight to get a seat for the hearing. A CNN reporter wrote on Twitter that the line to get in to the small room was led by congressional intern Maddie Moore, who specifically asked Capitol Hill security in advance whether she could stay overnight.

Mueller to testify before Congress

Good morning, live blog readers ⁠– and happy Mueller day!

Special counsel Robert Mueller will be testifying before Congress beginning at 8.30am Washington time. He will speak first to the House judiciary committee and then to the House intelligence committee starting at noon. The Guardian will be streaming the testimony, and I’ll put that link in the blog when it’s live.

Here is some of the last-minute drama surrounding the already dramatic proceedings:

  • Mueller’s last-minute decision to have his deputy, Aaron Zebley, appear alongside him has angered many Republicans – including Donald Trump. Our commander-in-chief was up early this morning complaining that Zebley’s appearance was “specifically NOT agreed to” and that Mueller should have focused on investigating “Crooked Hillary Clinton” or “Lyin’ & Leakin’ James Comey”.
  • But Mueller reportedly only wants Zebley to appear with him to help him with some of the details from the Russia investigation, which seems pretty reasonable given that the inquiry stretched on for two years and resulted in a 448-page report.
  • Mueller will give a short opening statement, which was rather unusually not leaked to the press in advance. The special counsel ran a famously leak-proof investigation, which seems to be carrying over to his testimony.
  • Mueller has said his testimony will stick to the facts of his report. But Democrats think he could shift public opinion simply by reiterating the known facts of his investigation, given that only 3 percent of Americans have read the full report.

We’ll cover more of what to expect from Mueller’s testimony here in the blog before the special counsel is sworn in. Stay tuned.

Updated

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