Democrats are hoping former special counsel Robert Mueller’s July 24 testimony before Congress next week will provide the impetus needed to launch an impeachment inquiry into President Trump.
Congress last week voted to table articles of impeachment against Trump.
It’s the third time Democrats have brought an impeachment measure to the House floor. But 95 Democrats (40% of the caucus) voted in favor of it this time, a significant increase over the past two attempts, which earned 58 votes and 66 votes respectively.
It’s a sign that pressure is increasing on Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, and Mueller’s testimony could push more undecided lawmakers into the impeachment camp.
“How many will join us after Mueller testifies before Congress?” Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-California, queried last week on Twitter.
Mueller has spoken publicly about the report only once — in a nine-minute, impromptu press conference on May 29.
He said if called to testify before Congress he would “not provide information beyond that which is already public.”
But Democrats, who issued a subpoena for Mueller to appear, believe they can find out more about about obstruction.
They say Mueller, who did not draw an conclusion on whether Trump tried to obstruct the probe, nonetheless provided examples of obstruction in the report, including an instance where the president asked his then-counsel Don McGahn if he could fire Mueller.
“We are still doing what we wanted to do in the very beginning,” said Rep. Val Demings, D-Florida, who sits on the two committees that will query Mueller. “Which is make sure the public has all the information we can possibly have. And that we continue to lay out a case to begin impeachment proceedings.”
Mueller is scheduled to testify twice on Wednesday.
He’ll first answer questions for three hours before the House Judiciary Committee.
Then, he’ll testify for two hours before the House Intelligence Committee.
Both panels are headed by Democrats who are staunch Trump foes.
Lawmakers in both parties have met privately to plot out their questions to Mueller.
Republicans on the intelligence panel will zero in on whether the probe was justified in the first place.
[Also read: Devin Nunes expects ‘the worst’ from Mueller testimony]
“We’ll be asking about the origins and the conduct of the counterintelligence investigation, both before and after the special counsel took over,” a GOP aide told the Washington Examiner.
Judiciary GOP lawmakers believe Mueller will make the case that “nothing is there,” regarding alleged collusion between Trump and the Russians, an aide told the Washington Examiner.
Democrats will focus on obstruction, in particular the McGahn episode, which Trump has denied.
Evidence of obstruction would pave a clear pathway to impeachment proceedings, many Democrats believe.
Mueller, in his brief public statement, said he did not exonerate Trump.
“If we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so,” Mueller said.
Pro-impeachment Democrats view that line as a tantalizing suggestion that there is more wrongdoing to uncover.
Democratic leaders, however have lower expectations for the Mueller testimony.
“I think that the report has brought some clarity and his own public statement brought further clarity and now when he speaks about it more people will know what is in the report,” Pelosi told reporters last week.
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries of New York, appeared on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers Thursday to talk about the upcoming hearing.
He described Mueller’s testimony as “the Cliff Note version” of the 438-page report, but not much more.
“We need real talk, and we’re going to try to bring that out on behalf of the American people,” Jeffries said.
Pro-impeachment Democrats said Mueller’s public testimony about the report will convince the public it’s time to oust Trump, even if nothing new is revealed.
“I think there will be more and more members who call for an impeachment inquiry,” Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pennsylvania, a member of the Judiciary Committee, told CNN. “I think Robert Mueller is the very first step. He’ll be before our Judiciary Committee. We’ll very thoughtfully elicit from him the narrative, the wrongdoing that is revealed in that report.”
Pelosi made no promises about impeachment after Mueller’s appearance.
“Let us go where the facts take us,” she said.
