Mueller in spotlight today
Special counsel to testify before House panels about Trump-Russia investigation
Washington — Former Trump-Russia special counsel Robert Mueller’s longtime associate, Aaron Zebley, will appear alongside him and serve as his lawyer as Mueller testifies before the House Judiciary Committee today, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.
Zebley, Mueller’s former chief of staff and his top aide on the Russia investigation, was an unexpected addition to the witness table less than 24 hours before the hearing. The person who provided the information, granted anonymity to freely discuss the talks, said that Mueller requested Zebley be sworn in and take questions, but the committee decided instead that he could appear alongside as a counsel.
A spokesman for Mueller confirmed that Zebley would be at the hearing.
“Aaron Zebley was the deputy special counsel and had day-to-day oversight of the investigations conducted by (Mueller’s) office,” said spokesman Jim Popkin. “He will accompany special counsel Mueller to the Wednesday hearings, as was discussed with the committees more than a week ago.”
Republicans were livid about the change, which they said was last minute. Georgia Rep. Doug Collins, the Judiciary panel’s top
Republican, called the move an “apparent stunt” by Democrats. He said it “shows the lengths Democrats will go to protect a one-sided narrative from a thorough examination by committee Republicans.”
Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, another member of the committee, tweeted: “You don’t get to change the rules right before kickoff.”
House intelligence committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Tuesday that Mueller had made a similar request of his committee, which will ask questions of him in a second hearing today.
“I would expect that he will have someone with him, and we are in discussions about precisely in what capacity that person will appear with him,” Schiff said.
Schiff appeared to have some concerns about the request, saying he didn’t want to see “a hearing with Bob Mueller converted to a hearing with someone else.”
The sessions will review Mueller’s 448-page report released in April.
While Mueller’s 448-page report did not find sufficient evidence to establish charges of criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia to swing the election, it said President Donald Trump could not be cleared of trying to obstruct the investigation.
Zebley has not been authorized by the Justice Department to appear at the open hearing, a separate person familiar with the matter said. That person also requested anonymity to discuss the negotiations. Attorney General William Barr has made it clear he does not want Mueller’s deputies to appear in a closed session, either.
The possible change in lineup comes as the Justice Department is asking Mueller not to stray beyond his report on Russian election interference when he testifies to Congress today.
In a letter sent Monday to Mueller, Associate Deputy Attorney General Bradley Weinsheimer said he should not speak about redacted material from his report — including material pertaining to pending criminal prosecutions, “uncharged third-parties” and “executive privilege,” such as “presidential communications privileges.”
The letter is entirely in line with what Mueller has already said — that he doesn’t intend to speak beyond his report’s findings during today’s hearings before the House Judiciary and intelligence committees. But it gives Mueller a formal directive to point to if he faces questions he does not want to answer.