I do not think that Mueller is afraid of being seen as “political”. I believe he is afraid of being shown to be mistaken in his belief that he couldn’t indict Trump. There are a few Dems on the committee who could methodically pick apart the ridiculous DOJ opinion that a sitting President cannot be indicted, point by point, and having Mueller have to agree, eventually, that the DOJ’s guidance against indicting a sitting President is a total crock of shit that has no basis in the Constitution nor in settled law.
Mueller is afraid of being made to appear a fool. Or, even worse, a possible partisan fool, which would confirm his claims of not wanting to appear “political” the absolute bullshit that it is.
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“Off with his 'nads!”
I’ve worried from the beginning that he’s not all in.
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And I think we would all pay good money to see that discussion.
Because it’s true.
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Because he was soooo careful about laying off responsibility on Congress, doesn’t he have an obligation to appear and explain? He’s worried about looking political? That train left the station.
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It’s becoming increasingly clear that you’re right about that. Even if Mueller does eventually acquiesce, the delay only creates more confusion in the public’s eye and works to Trump’s benefit. But Mueller’s hesitancy is troubling, because he needn’t testify on any ongoing investigations, only on what he believes his conclusions indicate. The longer he delays, the more his testimony is seen as bureaucratic posturing rather than an attestation of the truth…
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I think the problem is that testimony that’s easily politicized or lacks the teeth and substance needed to keep it from being spun might not have the impact needed to save the Republic.
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That’s quite a good interpretation of things. Liked x thousands
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If he made the decision to indict, and was overruled, that would trigger specific rules around notifying congress about the dispute. He didn’t. Thus, he abdicated his responsibility.
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Everyone here seems to be reacting as if he’s necessarily acting out of self-interest in trying to avoid seeming “political.” That could be, but it seems just as likely that he’s worried that if he’s depicted as a political actor then that could be used to diminish both his testimony and the report itself. It’s also possible that the feels like public testimony would require him to elide some of the details that might be crucial for skeptical congresscritters to hear.
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At some point such hesitancy and “professional” fastidiousness evolves into cowardice. Prim, proper, and reserved have their place but not when we’re faced with a criminal and aspiring fascist as President. If someone as attached to the law, as Mueller is supposed to be, doesn’t understand the compelling need for his testimony, then perhaps he’s not the man he was said to be.
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That’s what’s puzzling about this. If Mueller really intended to punt this to Congress, why would he not want to testify before them? Why try to appear above the political fray when this is already unavoidably of a political nature?
In addition to question about the sourcing of this report, I think the discussion might be more about the terms and conditions for the testimony, which subjects might be off-limits in a public hearing and which would be appropriate behind closed doors, and whether he would prefer to be subpoenaed rather than appear voluntarily.
It’s hard to imagine he would categorically refuse to testify in a public hearing. It could just be that there are issues to be negotiated.
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Sorry, but the American people need to hear your testimony.
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So if the dems are able to first get the teeth and substance…
it makes a whole lot more sense as to what’s going on.
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I always felt that Mueller’s concerns were what you and I would have…so that the testimony would be proper, legal, objective-appearing and w/o some conflict or irregularity which could be harmful in the future.
In point of fact, I would have twenty of my best attorneys go over the parameters with the best attorneys of Congress…
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I’m thinking truth is not the issue; sensitivity to ongoing investigations is the point.
Comey is a tragic figure in a Shakespearean way. The guy stood in the breech for the constitution when, as AG Ashcroft’s deputy and then as Acting AG during General John’s hospitalization, beat back the attempt by Alberta Gonzalez and Andy Card to get an extension of the domestic surveillance act, which the DOJ decided a week before was unconstitutional. (Comey’s helper that day was Bob Mueller.) That was a very big deal for civil liberties.
Despite what Trump says, Comey was beloved in the FBI by most. It was the Clinton-hating agents in the NY field office that motivated him to get the “she ain’t guilty” word out on the email investigation before the Clinton haters there screamed corruption on him not vigorously pursuing her. We didn’t know it at the time, but Giuliani was working the agents there to be more vocal Clinton corruption nuts. So, there was some sense of urgency for him to act.
But the guy did fubar the Clinton email investigation. I’ve read his book and I can see why he thought he had to do what he did. I vacillate between thinking him arrogant, naïve, rushed or just stupid for doing it, but I don’t assign sinister motives. I don’t really blame him for the October surprise on the Weiner laptop. First because he notified the Congressional oversight but it was Gowdy who leaked it to the press. Also, Hillary should have run a tighter ship with Ms. Abedin, who was married to the dipshit Weiner. If Hillary had been better served by those she trusted, she would be in the WH tonight.
To make a short comment even longer, I really feel sorry for Comey. I think he was a good FBI Direction until he went to work on July 5, 2016, the date of the Clinton email investigation presser. He crapped in his mess kit that day. But it took guts to be the only guy in the room and tell the President-elect that the FBI had a dossier on him compiled by a foreign entity that contained salacious reports of his conduct in Moscow. It took guts to not surrender to the guy who decides if you keep your job when he pressures you to publicly clear him of misdeeds that you know your folks have discovered. He gave this nation nearly a lifetime of good service, all negated by about four months in 2016. I think the tragedy of Comey is a result of a perfect storm. A tiny change at several points along the way would have avoided this storm.
“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”
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Just ask Mueller to read his four summary reports at the hearing. There will be no need to ask him questions. The American people will get the point if they see and hear it from its source.
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Are we sure the (under)paid help doesn’t do that for him?
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If you had ever endured one of those silences yourself, you would surely be more sympathetic. 
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