House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Tuesday told former special counsel Robert Mueller that the Justice Department’s instruction that he limit his testimony to the four corners of his public report should have “no bearing” on his congressional appearance.
Schiff, who wrote to Mueller on the eve of his highly-anticipated testimony on Capitol Hill, also accused the Justice Department of trying to obstruct legitimate investigations by Congress by saying that Mueller’s testimony should remain within the boundaries of his 448-page redacted report.
“The DOJ Letter attempts unduly to circumscribe your testimony and represents yet another attempt by the Trump Administration to obstruct the authorized oversight activity and legitimate investigations of the Committee,” Schiff wrote to Mueller in a letter provided by a committee aide Tuesday evening.
“The Committee categorically rejects the Department’s overly expansive and baseless ‘prophylactic’ assertion of executive privilege in all its various forms. Accordingly, I fully expect that the DOJ Letter will have no bearing on your testimony before the Committee tomorrow,” Schiff wrote.
Schiff was responding directly to a letter issued to Mueller by Associate Deputy Attorney General Bradley Weinsheimer Monday that asserted Mueller’s testimony should be limited to what’s in his public report. Weinsheimer argued that other discussions — such as talks about specific investigative steps or decisions — are covered by executive privilege. He noted that Mueller had asked for guidance in an earlier letter.
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Schiff tells Mueller that Justice Dept directive should have "no bearing" on testimony https://t.co/sJi1pwKg8C pic.twitter.com/spzrZiqiKC
— The Hill (@thehill) July 24, 2019
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