Media

David Axelrod: Mueller ‘does not appear as sharp’ as he was 6 years ago

by Joe Concha - 07/24/19 10:30 AM ET

CNN political commentator David Axelrod on Wednesday offered his take on Robert Mueller’s performance during his much-anticipated congressional testimony, saying the former special counsel “does not appear as sharp” as he was six years ago.

“This is delicate to say, but Mueller, whom I deeply respect, has not publicly testified before Congress in at least six years. And he does not appear as sharp as he was then,” Axelrod, who was a senior adviser to former President Obama, tweeted to his 1.1 million followers.

This is delicate to say, but Mueller, whom I deeply respect, has not publicly testified before Congress in at least six years. And he does not appear as sharp as he was then.

— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) July 24, 2019

Axelrod’s comments came during the first 90 minutes of Mueller’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee. He is slated to testify before the House Intelligence Committee immediately after the Judiciary hearing.

{mosads}In all, Mueller is expected to testify for at least five hours on Wednesday.

Republicans on the Judiciary Committee tore into Mueller with their questions and remarks about how he handled the 22-month Russia investigation. Some focused on the overall findings of his report, while others inquired about the investigation’s origins.

Other media commentators were also critical of Mueller’s initial performance at Wednesday’s hearing.

I think it’s fair to say that there’s a pretty severe mismatch between the media mythology and iconography constructed around Mueller over the last 3 years & the reality of the man as revealed today. No wonder he opted for utter silence: wise choice. https://t.co/vE3bnXCglf

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) July 24, 2019

Media portrayal of Mueller: sterling, heroic, supremely competent pursuer of truth

Actual performance of Mueller: bumbling, shaky, can’t recall key facts

Now we know why he hid from the public for 2+ years

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) July 24, 2019