Impeachment is about to get a Robert Mueller reprise

Source: Politico | November 22, 2019 | Darren Samuelsohn

Now that the Ukraine hearings are over, Democrats want to hold at least one Mueller-related impeachment hearing on Trump’s possible obstruction and perjury.

Right now, impeachment is all about Ukraine. But after Thanksgiving, prepare for a Robert Mueller reprise.

Now that House Democrats have wrapped up public hearings on President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign to get Ukraine to launch politically advantageous investigations, there are plans to hold at least one public impeachment hearing on Trump’s misdeeds as alleged in the special counsel’s report.

It’s a gathering that could fuel articles of impeachment beyond those tied to the Ukraine controversy. Democrats say they have new Mueller-related fodder after Roger Stone’s recent trial raised questions about whether Trump provided false statements to the special counsel’s team. And the hearing could even feature a star witness — former White House counsel Don McGahn. A judge is set to rule in the coming days on whether McGahn must comply with a House subpoena.

House leadership signaled the plans in court filings and oral arguments this week, as the Democrats’ attorneys fought to get McGahn’s testimony, as well as access to more of the evidence Mueller used to write his final report.

“This is something that’s unbelievably serious and it’s happening right now, very fast,” House counsel Doug Letter, who consults closely with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, told a federal appeals court during a hearing in the Mueller evidence case.

To close observers, a shift back to the Mueller probe isn’t all that surprising. Democratic leaders never took the 2016 Russia investigation off the table as an impeachment springboard, even as attention shifted to the Ukraine scandal.

Much of Mueller’s work is already part of the Democrats’ impeachment record. The former special counsel and his final report are mentioned a dozen times in the House resolution approved last month kick-starting the current public hearing process. Democrats noted in the resolution that Mueller “documented evidence strongly indicating that President Trump engaged in a course of conduct designed to obstruct the special counsel’s investigation, including any investigation into the president’s conduct.”

Democrats have picked up new details since then. At Stone’s trial, which concluded Nov. 15 with a conviction of the longtime Trump associate for lying to Congress and witness tampering, new evidence and testimony showed Trump and his campaign aides knew more about WikiLeaks’ plans during the 2016 presidential race then they have let on. That includes three Trump-Stone phone calls around the time that Julian Assange’s document dumps were damaging the Hillary Clinton campaign.

Democrats say the revelations spotlight a potential contradiction in Trump’s written responses last November to Mueller’s team.

“I do not recall discussing WikiLeaks with [Stone], nor do I recall being aware of Mr. Stone having discussed WikiLeaks with individuals associated with my campaign,” Trump wrote.

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  • Consistent #33617

    ConservativeGranny #33661

    I hope so.

    EVERYDAY #33670

    Totally useless endeavor. Mueller did a really bad job on his report and the investigation as a whole. For God’s sake, either Trump did wrong or he didn’t. Why is this so hard?

    ConservativeGranny #33671

    Mueller did drop the ball. I was so disappointed in him. But I think there is enough material there to add to the obstruction charges the House may bring in the Ukraine case as well as perhaps a perjury charge too. I have my fears that the Ukraine business may not be enough.

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