Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) is walking back remarks he made earlier on Sunday, saying “nothing has been agreed to yet” on the date of special counsel Robert Mueller’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee.
“Just to clarify: we are aiming to bring Mueller in on the 15th, but nothing has been agreed to yet,” Cicilline, who is a member of the committee, wrote later, after his remarks circulated. “That’s the date the Committee has proposed, and we hope the Special Counsel will agree to it. Sorry for the confusion.”
Cicilline said earlier on “Fox News Sunday” that the House Judiciary Committee had come to a tentative date of May 15 for Mueller testify, noting that a representative for the special counsel had agreed to the date but “obviously, until the day comes, we never have an absolute guarantee.”
“A tentative date has been set of May 15th and we hope the special counsel will appear,” Cicilline said. “We think the American people have a right to hear directly from him.”
It was reported last week that Mueller was in talks with the committee about whether he would testify. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y), the committee chairman, has previously said they are aiming for May 15.
The Justice Department declined to comment to The Hill, and a request for comment from Mueller’s former spokesman was not immediately returned.
“The White House has so far indicated they would not interfere with Mr. Mueller’s attempts to testify, we hope that won’t change,” Cicilline said on Fox News.
The House Judiciary Committee is also seeking a fuller version of Mueller’s Russia investigation report, and has given Attorney General William Barr until 9 a.m. on Monday to turn over the less-redacted report.
Cicilline said there has not been “compliance yet” from the attorney general.
“We obviously have to wait until the morning to see if the attorney general will comply,” Cicilline said.
He added that, if the attorney general does not produce the requested documents, Nadler will ask the committee to “move forward with a contempt citation” against Barr.
“The chairman has been very patient, trying to accommodate the attorney general in every way,” Cicilline said. “But the members of our committee need to see the full report and the supporting documents so we can continue to do our work, conduct oversight in a responsible and sober way. So, I hope the attorney general will comply.”
Updated 12:47 p.m.