Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) said Wednesday that special counsel Robert Mueller doesn’t “have to go beyond” the contents of his 448-page report in order for his upcoming congressional testimony to be “really damning” for President Trump.
The House Judiciary and Intelligence committees announced Tuesday night that Mueller has agreed to testify publicly next month following a subpoena.
“I’ve said for a long time that what we need is a television version of the Mueller report,” Schakowsky told Hill.TV.
“He doesn’t have to go beyond the Mueller report in any way,” she continued. “I’ve read it all and both chapter one and two are really damning — both the interference with our elections but also definitely the effort to obstruct justice by the president there’s just absolutely no question about it.”
Mueller found no conspiracy between Russia and the Trump campaign, but he did not reach a conclusion on whether Trump committed obstruction, listing several possible instances while pointing out that Justice Department rules do not allow for indicting a sitting president.
Schakowsky added that she recently came out in support of Democratic calls for impeachment, emphasizing that Mueller’s testimony could prove to be a a turning point in potentially launching such an inquiry.
“We should use all of the tools in the toolbox to get the most information,” she said. “But I think this is going to be a really major piece — having Mueller himself, the author of the report come and talk about what’s in it.”
Mueller’s upcoming remarks will mark his first public comments since his press conference last month where he announced the end of his term as special counsel. During the surprise remarks, Mueller also said that he did intend to make any further public comments on his findings.
“I hope and expect this to be the only time that I will speak to you in this manner. I am making that decision myself. No one has told me whether I can or should testify or speak further about this matter,” he said at the time.
Mueller’s testimony before the two panels is set to take place on July 17.
—Tess Bonn
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