President Trump criticized Robert Mueller’s Wednesday performance on Capitol Hill but said a better outcome for the ex-special counsel was unlikely, given the circumstances.
Mueller testified in front of the House Judiciary Committee and House Intelligence Committee for nearly six hours over his report on Russian interference in the 2016 election. The Department of Justice made most of the 448-page report public in May after Mueller concluded his nearly two-year investigation.
“I think Robert Mueller did a horrible job, both today and with respect to the investigation; but in all fairness to Robert Mueller, he had nothing to work with,” Trump told reporters as he prepared to leave for a fundraiser in West Virginia. “I don’t think there is anybody, even among the fakers, I don’t think there is anybody who would say he did well.”
Part of Mueller’s testimony revolved around his investigation into the Russian collusion conspiracy that the Trump campaign colluded with Russian agents to swing the outcome of the 2016 election. His investigation failed to substantiate the claim.
Democrats have since charged that Trump should be charged with obstruction of justice for ordering Mueller’s investigation to be shut down on several occasions. The order was never carried out and Mueller completed his investigation without interference, Mueller testified.
The Trump administration largely cooperated with Mueller, but Trump refused to let the special counsel interview him directly. Instead, Mueller submitted a set of written questions to the president. Trump defended his decision to not let Mueller interview him directly.
“I saw what he did to people, how he ruined people’s lives because they didn’t remember a date or something very minor,” Trump said. “They went bankrupt because they couldn’t afford the fees and they were good people, many, many people … I did the right thing.”
“I don’t think anybody could have done a good performance, he had no material,” Trump said, again talking about Mueller’s performance. “It was a fake set of facts that the Democrats used to try and do, really, an illegal overthrow, but we’re going to find out about that.”
