Special counsel Robert Mueller stood by his report into President Donald Trump’s campaign in his first public remarks since it was released Wednesday, saying his report would be his “testimony” if he is subpoenaed to speak before Congress.
Mueller defended his report into the Trump campaign at a press conference at the Department of Justice, adding he would be “formally closing the special counsel’s office” and that he would be “resigning from the Department of Justice to return to private life.”
He said there was “insufficient evidence to charge a broader conspiracy,” and if he were subpoenaed to go before Congress, “the report is my testimony.” Since Mueller resigned, it could be harder for Congress to get him to appear because he will be a private citizen.
“There has been a discussion about an appearance before Congress. Any testimony from this office would not go beyond our report,” he said.
He also added that if his office “had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so.”
FBI Director Robert Mueller testifies during a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler said in April he wanted Mueller to testify before the committee as soon as possible after Attorney General William Barr addressed the media.
Nadler called on Mueller to testify in front of the group after earlier calls from Republican Georgia Rep. Doug Collins, the top Republican on the committee. Collins asked Nadler to “immediately” invite Mueller to testify before Congress.
After the release of the report’s findings, Nadler requested a number of documents from the White House and sent letters seeking information from people and organizations close to Trump on March 4. (RELATED: Nadler Unleashes Massive Document Requests Into Threats Against Rule Of Law)
Democrats and cable news pundits have continued to say the Mueller report is a cover-up, even though the full, unredacted version has not been released publicly.
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