Special counsel Robert Mueller was spotted in D.C.’s historic Georgetown neighborhood Monday evening as the Trump administration and Congress clash over whether to let him testify about his 22-month-long Russia investigation.
Reporters caught Mueller on camera leaving dinner at Martin’s Tavern, established in 1933 and which has some history with the city’s political elite. Then-Sen. John F. Kennedy proposed to Jacqueline Lee Bouvier on the evening of June 24, 1953, at the “proposal booth,” which is marked by a plaque. On its website, the eatery says it served every president “from Truman to Bush.”
Special Counsel Robert Mueller departs dinner at Martin’s Tavern in Georgetown, Monday, May 6, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Al Drago) pic.twitter.com/WOezTFeQ0E
— Al Drago (@Al_Drago) May 7, 2019
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was sighted just one block away going to dinner in Georgetown soon after he rejected a demand from House Democrats to view Trump’s tax returns.
As Robert Mueller has dinner in Georgetown, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin arrives for dinner just one block away pic.twitter.com/y5Ty98d90D
— Noah Gray (@NoahGrayCNN) May 6, 2019
Mueller wrapped up the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election in March. His team did not find sufficient evidence showing criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin during the 2016 election. Mueller did not, however, clear Trump of obstruction of justice. Attorney General William Barr says he determined that there is insufficient evidence to prove an obstruction crime, but Democrats argue that Mueller’s report, which outlines 10 instances of possible obstruction, leaves it up to Congress to investigate and decide.
Democrats have turned on Barr and say they believe he lied to Congress about Mueller’s views of Barr’s memo on the report’s principal conclusions. They want to hear from Mueller about the report.
However, President Trump rejected the notion over the weekend. “No redos for the Dems!” he tweeted on Sunday. Despite Trump’s position, ABC News reports Barr, who has the authority to block the special counsel from testifying, believes Mueller should appear before lawmakers.
The Mueller spotting Monday evening is the latest in a string of sightings that have come at significant milestones since Mueller completed the investigation.
After Mueller submitted his report to the Justice Department in March, he was spotted leaving services at St. John’s Episcopal Church, not far from the White House.
Last month, on Easter Sunday days after a redacted version of the 448-page report was released, Mueller was chased down by MSNBC reporter Mike Viqueira and asked whether he would testify before Congress. Mueller said he did not have any comment at the time.
