Three little questions
by digby
This op-ed by Neal Katyal reduces the whole Mueller testimony to just three important questions:
There are just three simple yes-or-no questions Congress should ask Robert Mueller:
Mr. Mueller, the president said your report found, in his words, “no collusion, no obstruction, complete and total exoneration.”
First, did your report find there was no collusion?
Second, did your report find there was no obstruction?
Third, did your report give the president complete and total exoneration?
That’s it. That’s the ballgame. It makes no difference if there are 20 questioners or two when Mr. Mueller appears before two House committees on Wednesday. All of this speculation about whether Mr. Mueller will go beyond the four corners of his report is largely a waste of time, with one asterisk. The report itself is deeply damning to Mr. Trump, elevating him to the rare president who has been credibly documented as committing federal crimes while sitting in office.
I think this is correct as well:
The question to ask is, “When you said, 'we recognized that a federal criminal accusation against a sitting President would…potentially preempt constitutional processes for addressing presidential misconduct,’ what ‘constitutional processes’ did you have in mind?"— Brian Beutler (@brianbeutler) July 22, 2019
Let’s hope they’re smart enough to use the report’s exact words to question Mueller. It’s the best way to ensure that Mueller isn’t led into Barr’s edict to stonewall anything that goes beyond it.
By the way, if you are still looking for a primer on the report to understand the details, this piece at Lawfare helpfully lays out everything it says Trump did, said or knew:
Robert Mueller is testifying before Congress on Wednesday, and members will no doubt ask him repeatedly for his views and findings about President Trump. Mueller has made clear that he has no intention of going beyond what he said in the report itself, which he called “his testimony.” He will likely be firmest on this point with respect to the sensitive issue of presidential conduct.
So for those who want to figure out what Mueller has said about Trump, here is a list: all of Trump’s actions as detailed in the Mueller report.
This list includes everything Trump said or did, actions others recall him taking, and recollections of when Trump was informed of events and facts relevant to the investigation. In other words, it’s an account of everything the president did, said or knew, according to the Mueller report.
And it is damning…
.