** OFFICIAL VIEWING THREAD ** Robert Mueller Testifies in Front of House Judiciary & House Intelligence 7/24/2019

And here's a link to Reuters's feed. I'm sure there are a dozen cable channels carrying it, too.

I'm going in expecting nothing so I will be pleasantly surprised if something actually comes from all this.

My only prediction is that he will do everything he can to NOT provide a soundbite. No quick answers, just a lot of lengthy and dull explanations.

I can't wait for the Trump's tweets where he says he will never watch that shit show, ten minutes before he starts tweeting disparaging comments on it. Because, you know, that's how he rolls...

This will end in Demo tears.

I agree R2. That's my attitude, too. Every time I thought that "they got him", he just slithered out of it and managed to turn it around and remain unscathed. It feels like it's a battle between good and evil and evil is winning.

This is going to be an epic letdown yet again. I suspect there will be maybe one soundbite that the news networks will work with for the rest of the day and night.

So now Hillary will finally be President?

We'd better get at least one hot intern to look at during the testimony.

Isn't there a fire code in DC? That's a lot of people in a relatively small space.

Mueller in the room.

[quote]Isn't there a fire code in DC? That's a lot of people in a relatively small space.

Trump's on the phone to DC Code Services RIGHT NOW.

Super excited!! This guy makes John Kerry look like Ric Flair. Wooooo!

Mueller looks over it all.

He looks exhausted.

I must say Mueller looks very elegant in that suit.

As I posted in the other thread, the only news here will be if Mueller is, as reported, annoyed at Barr for distorting the report and then if Mueller, in that old-school patrician East Coast Establishment, Hail-Fellow-Well-Met, clubby way, subtly, but unmistakably, twist a stilletto into Barr.

Why do the Repugs always sound like such hillbillies?

Well this didn't take long.

The Republicans' opening statement is full of lies and innuendos ... it would be nice if Mueller would rebut them. But I don't think he will.

Southern accents are so annoying. What in tarnation!

LOL "why" R17

All the Trolls in one thread finally.

It seems like there should be some way to basically object when a Representative lies in their statement.

"Gossip," should not be used to unfairly go after Politicians and set off ridiculous hearings!

So good to know!!!

Garbo speaks!

Is DL on PrimeTime or is it just too early for traffic?

Not on PT, at least not yet.

I didn't realize he would actually appear and start at 8:30. I thought "coverage" was starting at 8:30. So now I'm here. Working from home. LOL!

Conspiracy vs. Collusion. Thanks for explaining that Robert.

He's already complaining about being called to testify.

He's already preparing everyone for a whole bunch of nothing with this hearing.

The dark haired guy over Mueller's right shoulder, two rows back, is hot.

Someone needs to smack the derpy white guy behind Mueller to the left.

He's not going to make the Dems or the Reps happy today.

Aaand he's already saying he won't answer a lot of questions.

Mueller putting the final nail in America’s coffin.

Maybe I'm cynical, but I have felt for quite some time that he's a Republican who doesn't want to be blamed for taking down a Republican president. All this complaining about being asked to testify is just bullshit. He's old, he remembers Watergate, he knows the score.

It appears Mueller could have phoned this in.

Nadler asks if the report said there was no collusion, as Trump keeps claiming. “Right, that is not what the report said,” Mueller replies.

Yup, he's already said he's not going to say anything about anything.

Isn’t that the National Security Advisor sitting directly behind Mueller?

Mueller not wearing a wedding ring. Is he available?

Someone better ask if Barr ended the investigation early.

Nadler: “Did you actually totally exonerate the president?”

Mueller: “No.”

Uh, uh.... Nadler is asking good questions.

Dammit, Mueller, stop with the "uhm uhm uhm waffle uhm uhm" crap.

Did I hear complaints from the audience when he sounded like he didn't want to answer Nadler's question there?

R42 Do you want him?

Mueller's stammering. I'm surprised.

[quote]Isn’t that the National Security Advisor sitting directly behind Mueller?

No, that’s not John Bolton.

God, all these double negatives...it's just not emphatic enough for the deplorables to understand the point. They'll just continue with "No collusion! No obstruction!". They are not about nuance.

He sounds like he's going to completely fall apart every time Nadler asks him a good question.

The Dems are prepared for this.

Here comes Mr, Haney again,p. Go back to Hooterville.

I am in a waiting room watching this with deplorables. Pray for me.

His investigation was never hindered? Really? Huh.

This guy from GA is a condescending asshole.

Cover up.

Interesting...

[quote]Someone better ask if Barr ended the investigation early.

Mueller just confirmed that his investigation was never curtailed, stopped or hindered.

I wish Franken were asking the questions.

Yep, R59, which is awfully interesting considering what we already know.

This is not going well.

Fuck sakes, no wonder his investigation didn't find anything to pin Trump. Mueller comes across as a doddling grandpa.

Seth Abramson seems to have pivoted to Captain Obvious.

Collins is the absolute worst.

Does Mueller have a hearing issue?

LOL

[quote]Lindsey's questions for Mueller: Is it ever acceptable to use paper plates? Can I pull off a tomato red linen blazer? Was it OK that I annotated my copy of your report with dancing hearts? Why do people respect you and think I'm a toad, especially the fellow seated behind me?

Mueller didn't seem to agree that collusion and conspiracy have the same meaning but asshole Collins was talking over him.

The Repugs pretty obviously started with Collins to throw Mueller (knowing he was already skittish) and set the tone for a claim that he is disorganized and/or trying to change what he said in the report.

I've watched all I can stand to watch. Mueller sounds like a doddering & hearing impaired old fool much of the time. He should have never been chosen for this job. Someone younger with more energy should have been chosen.

Wow... he really didn't want to say that the Russians were hoping to benefit Trump. Long pause then pronounced it "Trimp."

Mueller may be losing it. There's stammering, hearing issues and did he have to be corrected to use his right hand and not his left at the swearing in?

Is this why he didn't want to testify, because he's got health issues now?

He's horrible.

r70 = DJT

The questions are too long.

This guy's question doesn't even make sense.

He's just letting Rethugs railroad him. I thought he'd be better prepared for this.

And yet he's still going to protect his party.

I wish they would badger him so much that he would get pissed and Hulk out and burn the fuckers down.

The Repugs are not asking real questions, they’re making long statements that they know he won’t be able to respond to in this format.

Rethugs don't ask questions. They make false statements.

Ratcliffe, the current Republican questioner, met with Trump Friday and is reportedly under consideration to replace Dan Coats as director of national intelligence. This performance will up his standing with Trimp, er, Trump.

Mueller's wishing he were home in his pajamas watching Kelly and Ryan.

Repubs are reduced to giving speeches.

Ratcliffe thinks he's making a huge point but he actually doesn't make sense.

MSNBC commentators told us that the value of this hearing would be in having Bob Mueller speak the words of the report.

But all we're hearing is, "Ah, could you repeat the question."

And his health issue is that he's now incurably old.

Jesus, what a fucking drama queen this asshole from Texas is. Of course he had to get in the socialist name calling.

This is why 70 year olds should not be president.

Well, Mueller did warn that he didn’t want to do this.

Is this a mishearing?

Ratcliffe is actually trying to say that volume two of this report is illegal. Hilarious. It's such an obvious job interview for Trump it's pathetic.

The rethugs are rethugging - we need mickey to splash some water in Muellers face and get him back into the ring.

[quote]Jesus, what a fucking drama queen this asshole from Texas is.

He was playing to an audience of one -- Trump.

R88, Mueller turns 75 in two weeks.

Republicans just making long winded, lying, statements, to run the clock down and not allow Mueller to speak or respond, should be expected.

I'm going to need a lot of fucking antacids at the end of this.

Everyone gets 5 mins.

5 hours of THIS?!

We're aware R97.

And it’s every other one - Dem - Repug

Ratcliffe was lying, of course.

Did he have a stroke?

This will be a big nothing, honestly Mueller seems old and doddering. Della no sort of passive aggressive dig at Barr will happen.

Jim Nonsense burger.

R101, a Rethug lying? I'm shocked!

He's just old and nervous, I think. And he really does seem to have trouble following the really fast questions from Reps trying to cram everything into 5 minutes.

Well this is absolutely riveting stuff.

Every Republican is doing the same thing: reading from the report without telling him where in the report they're reading from, Mueller saying he needs to look it up, and the Repug saying, "UH I just READ it to YOU" in a sarcastic tone.

Repugs are painting him as incompetent and Mueller keeps handing them the paint.

Two years of building up the super heroic, efficient, no nonsense Mueller and now we see the guy can barely hear or understand questions about his own report.

Mueller is useless.

I want to hear Mueller but the Rethugs get my Blood PRessure elevated so I keep turning the sound down. I guess if Mueller does something spectacular like telling Sensenbrenner or Ratliffe to fuck off they will replay it and "analyze it. Mueller has never spoken rapidly. He is deliberate and careful. This is not show biz to him. It has to be daunting for anyone to sit there and face all those questioners, no matter what he may privately think of them.

Kellyanne Conway is probably dancing around the Oval Office like Julie Andrews at the beginning of the Sound of Music. They have to be ecstatic about this.

Heh.

I think it’s going to be clear by the end that he would have indicted if he could have. And Congreve could.

r67, some people don't know the difference between the House and the Senate.

Well isn't this depressing.

[Quote]Did he have a stroke?

I think he's still having one.

And they got Clinton in what, 3 Rethugs in?

The Comey testimony was entertaining at least

I don't have much confidence that this old man was the stellar prosecutor and did a good job. Maybe we really do need a true do-over.

Let Mueller answer, you loathsome Republicans.

I suspect Mueller is best at delegating and organizing, and that there are dozens on his team who would have been much better than Mueller when it comes to testifying.

Remember, the Republicans were VERY happy at him being chosen for the job, probably in part because they knew he was a dry bureaucrat, as well as a Republican. They were planning for the future.

So, he can not indict...so no investigation should be done? What about all Trumps friends being investigated.

Sheila Jackson-Lee is FIERCE!

[quote]So, he can not indict...so no investigation should be done?

That's the Repug talking point, yes.

Maybe they should have sent Rachel Maddow to testify in his place. She seems to know more about the report than Mueller.

C’mon Mueller get it together!

[quote]Sheila Jackson-Lee is FIERCE!

She's supposedly really nasty in real life but I love how she comes across on camera.

LOL the "I'm fucked" quote makes an appearance

The overall impact will be determined by the news clips and interpretations because no one can listen to this. Fox will find enough to exonerate and no one else will. So status quo.

Just when he thinks he's out they keep pulling him back in

Maybe Mueller is pulling a rope-a-dope. God I hope so.

I'm not sure how much of this I can watch. I too am turning the sound off when the Republicans "ask questions." It seems that their purpose is to confound and then confront. I feel sorry for Mueller.

The Dems are trying to build their case for impeachment. They need to sway public opinion.

He just seems so frigging old.

And here our country is going into the shitter. And he says nothing,

He's not saying nothing. Dial back the melodrama, Joan.

[Quote]The Dems are trying to build their case for impeachment.

You can't honestly believe this...? Pelosi has made damn clear impeachment is a dumb waste of time and not happening.

He is nervous, old and trying to avoid misspeaking. What did you all expect? He's doing fine.

The GOP carries on as if Mueller is supposed to have memorized every syllable of the report. I'm sure he doesn't trust the Republicans to quote it correctly.

He stated at the outset that he wouldn’t address the origins of the report.

[Quote]He just seems so frigging old

He is friggin old, he is 74.

People can pretend it is ageism to point out the obvious, but people in their 70s aren't as quick on their feet as they were in their younger days.

She has not, troll R137. They don't have the votes yet.

People need to contact their Representatives and find out if they support impeachment. If not, convince them to support it. Stop lying with this "Pelosi refuses to impeach" crap. It's up to a whole lot of citizens and Representatives, not just her.

This makes my Ph.D. oral comps look like a walk in the park.

That's what I've heard, R128. She has a lot of turnover with assistants. I have a friend that lives in her district in Houston, and Lee has been helpful and attentive to my friend's needs and concerns.

[quote]The president was not exculpated for the acts that he allegedly committed

That's a pretty good Mueller quote that I hope gets some decent cable news play.

[quote] Mueller just confirmed that his investigation was never curtailed, stopped or hindered.

Saw that. Not good.

At least Mueller's not playing ball with the attempted smear of the Steele dossier.

Pelosi wants the public to think that Congress could have impeached but exercised restraint and waited for the election bc the partisan Senate would not convict. She doesn’t want people to think there was no cause to impeach.

R75 shut the fuck up you halfwitted cunt.

I'm upset. What force in the universe is protecting Trump from being punished ?

r149 also = DJT

Recap of Mueller's compelling testimony, so far-

[quote] Could you repeat the question?

[quote] I refer you to the report.

[quote] That's outside my purview.

Republicans really do get a hard on for Hillary.

I don't think we can blame his performance today on his age. Even a 30-something would falter. Coming into this, he knows that half of the people are going to try to trip him up and catch him in a "gotcha" moment. Some are outright hostile towards him as if he's on trial for some crime.

Repug claims that "the things left out of the report tended to be favorable to the President."

How would he know what was left out of the report?

Johnson is doing well, Mueller seems more responsive to his questions because they're clearer and slower.

Is Johnson the one who said Guam might tip over?

He can't trust the Repugs to quote the report accurately, so of course he wants the pages and locations of their quotes. They're not giving him the pages before they yell at him because they WANT to yell "It's in your report, have you forgotten?!?!" and make him look bad.

Here's the thing. Mueller has said all along that our country already has a mechanism in place to deal with corrupt presidents. Congress. So his testifying is just political theater. They drag this man out of bed for what... exactly? Quite frankly, I think impeachment is a meaningless exercise as long as the Senate refuses to play ball. And it's not like Trump would ever resign. I trust Pelosi, she has good instincts about this shit.

This is awful, I wonder if Meghan McCain’s chili is ready yet.

Mueller has made 80+ appearances before Congress and he's acting like this is his first time.

He needs to just state, "Listen, if you want to cite my report you need to answer my questions because you're all liars."

Again, when Gohmert states something that's not proven, it's just his theory, why can't that be objected to?

The Democrats are trying valiantly to get Mueller to rephrase damaging stuff from his report that can be used as media sound bites, but he keeps resisting. "It's in the report."

Looney bird Louie Gohmert: "Just what I thought, you didn't write this."

Is his appearance before the Senate Committee this afternoon? What a long day.

Haha Gohmert tried to submit an article he wrote for Hannity . com into evidence, what a fucking clown.

And none of this treatment will make Mueller turn from his own party.

Louie Gonad

Could this be going any worse for the Democrats?

Mueller was never going to give some bombastic testimony, he didn't even want to do this in the first place. From his perspective, everything was in the report.

R164 that's their tactic. It works with their dimwit base.

Are they going to take a break or plow right through?

I don't know what y'all hope to find by putting Mueller on the stand?

It's not a disaster for the Democrats, there's been a couple of soundbites. Not as many as we wanted but there's a few, and Gohmert is embarrassing the entire party, so that's good.

Gohmert sounds like Leslie Jordan.

I only have audio on and Louie Gomert sounds like Lesley Jordon.

"I take your question."

What did that mean?

Oh my god, this rube from Texas...someone get the cane

It’s not over yet. We just need one damning quote.

R177, it’s an expression commonly used by lawyers, as in “ I take your point.” It means, I understand what you are saying, but I do not agree, or will not respond.

Gohmert was having a shit fit at the time but I think I heard Mueller say that his meeting with Trump was NOT an interview for the FBI Director job.

But Trump tweeted (then deleted) that he met with Mueller only for an FBI Director interview.

Interesting.

Is Trump tweeting this? “I’m completely exonerated! No collusion!” If not, he will.

[quote]I don't think we can blame his performance today on his age. Even a 30-something would falter.

Hey, girl, haaaay!

Why won’t Mueller just nail Trump? You know he wants to.

Since Mueller is a process man and complies with them, someone just needs to say, "from this point forward, don't say it's in the report. Just answer yes or no."

The fact is Mueller is conforming the Obstruction charges. But the Dems, IMO have this wrong Yes, the Mueller report is important. Definitely. But we do not need the Mueller report to impeach. This President's abuse of power, and other crimes are proof enough of his criminality. Mueller lays a good foundation and his team did a lot of investigatory work, that saves time, but we can impeach Trump without it. The Republican base will never abandon Trump. Their support is unconditional. But with a Democratic Senate and a Democratic House we can get rid of the son of a bitch, and if he wins in January, we will go after him and nail his ass. Gone by April 2021.

We don't have a Democratic Senate, though.

Mueller's family was threatened.

Trump is protected by Satan.

God on vacation.

I don’t think Mueller has thoughts that are pro or anti Trump. He seems like an automaton. In the future, I don’t think his performance here’s or even his report will be seen as heroic. Instead he will be seen as a bureaucrat following rules without seeing the big picture

[quote]But with a Democratic Senate and a Democratic House we can get rid of the son of a bitch, and if he wins in January, we will go after him and nail his ass. Gone by April 2021.

Even if we take control of the senate in 2020, it takes 2/3ds of the Senate to remove someone from office, not a majority.

This obsession over removing Trump from office through impeachment is a pipe dream, put that energy into winning at the ballot box. That's how you get rid of him, vote him out.

This President will do anything to remain in office. Start a war? Oh yeah.

Mueller needs to get over trying to play high road.

He could most certainly have answered if Barr's summary was accurate or not.

The Dems are at least managing to read the report to the public, and getting quite a few short yes and no answers. Too many "I refer you to the report" replies for my taste but I think this is usable to convince more people to go forward with impeachment.

I'm a loyal and proud viewer of the Joy Reid program. Is there a possibility, however remote, that Trump WON"T be impeached during the Mueller hearing?

[quote]He could most certainly have answered if Barr's summary was accurate or not.

Especially since he already said it wasn't, if I recall.

R191: Will not work because they will steal the election - again.

[quote]Too many "I refer you to the report" replies for my taste but I think this is usable to convince more people to go forward with impeachment.

I admire your optimism.

R191: Will not work because they will steal the election - again.

Does he have dementia? Not only is he doddering and confused - his mouth hangs agape when he is trying to understand. Its as if they pulled someone from the closest nursing home, shoved him into a suit and stuck him in the chair. Seriously WTF.

r183 Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump · 2h NO COLLUSION, NO OBSTRUCTION!

Every time a Republican attempts to make a point, the next Democrat uses quotes from his report for rebuttal. I love this. The more aggressive Repukes a re using rumors innuendo and gossip to smear Mueller. The Dems have their quotes: 1. Mueller is confirming Obstruction. 2. Mueller's report confirms Russian interference, and most important, 3. Mueller's report is very cunning, as, while not saying there was a conspiracy, shows that there was a conspiracy between Russia and the Trump campaign.

I refer to the report....

The Dems are reading the most damning parts of the report and Mueller is agreeing with them.

r183

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump 2h NO COLLUSION, NO OBSTRUCTION!

Stop yelling, Jordan.

Jim Jordan with talking points provided by Sean Hannity.

As usual, Republicans just lie.

As usual, Republicans just lie.

Jordan went to a fourth-tier law school (Capitol) in Ohio.

Exactly, R204. The Republicans a re lying, smearing and posturing. They look really stupid. Oops, here comes Gymmy.

Even the most ardent Repug has to have noticed that all the Repug Reps are doing is screaming.

Id give anything for Mueller to say:

"Mr. Jordan, Ill make this brief as I know you have young Wrestlers to rape."

The squinty eyed looks of confused people behind Mueller when Republicans go off is hilarious, though.

R202 - you get that from this sad show, but does the public majority??

NYTimes' congressional correspondent Nicholas Fandos: Republicans have now seen that Mueller is not going to push back on them with that much oomph. I would not be surprised if we start to see them dialing up.

[quote] Will not work because they will steal the election - again.

This is why it is critical for Dems to demand VOTER ID. Call your congressperson to make sure it is enacted for 2020!

Jordan not making a point - just making himself look like an angry asshole - like usual.

Jim Jordan is a D-bag.

Jim Jordan is fucking twat

Jesus, the amount of trolls on this thread is revolting.

Jordan is the creepiest fuck in the House by a wide margin.

Doesn’t voter ID suppress votes, R217?

Yes, the Rethugs are ramping it up.

Yes, the central figure who started all this, who lied... was not charged.... Would you have preferred I charged Drumpf, Jordy?

R219 You can say douche, it's not a swear.

I hope Mueller leaves and tags his balls in.

Isn’t he tired of being the Repugs punching bag of lies?

It's trolling you dear r223, the same poster who was making those Joy Reid digs earlier. Just FF and ignore and move on, no need to give it attention.

Jordan has major rage issues. He must beat his wife and kids.

How many times is Mueller going to respond "I can't get into that."?

[quote] Mueller needs to get over trying to play high road.

Bringing yourself down to Donald Trump's level is no way to get rid of Donald Trump.

R217, hacking is the issue, not people voting without ID.

Just FYI, one of the guys in this thread saying Mueller has dementia started the most recent "something is coming in the next couple of weeks that's bad for Trump" threads.

Recognize the trolls, guys.

I wonder if the Republicans will wind up hanging themselves by ramping it up. They aren't actually undermining him regardless of the rhetoric.

Neither is sitting there and taking it R231.

I'm just trying to imagine how people who haven't been following the case until now are reacting

Mueller is not pushing back that hard on the repubs who are clearly creating moments for Fox "News".

Democrats are calmly going about their business and confirming the report.

Will most Americans fall for the flash of the repubs or the honest but less theatrical work of the Democrats? ugh

I'm not surprised that Mueller isn't giving the Democrats any read meat -- but I am surprised that he's not pushing back even a little on Republican attempts to smear him, the FBI and the intelligence community.

Doubtful, R234. They've been getting away with this bullshit for decades.

Jordan was slimy regarding the Ohio State abuse story.

I hope the mainstream media focuses on the obstruction

[quote] Just FF and ignore and move on, no need to give it attention.

Pretty rich coming from you. You criticized Pelosi for refusing to impeach, then two posts later said YOU thought impeachment was a "pipe dream" and people should stop trying to pursue it.

Trolls are like cockroaches, you can never really get rid of them.

[quote]Will most Americans fall for the flash of the repubs or the honest but less theatrical work of the Democrats?

Sounds like a replay of the last presidential election. Let's hope this turns out better.

When I turned the TV on about twenty minutes ago, I thought I was watching Saturday Night Live.

R237, he probably doesn't want to get dragged into a purely defensive position, which is what the GOP wants.

Frank Figliuzzi on MSNBC basically just said that Republicans have been strong... and lying... and are effective in making their soundbytes and therefore when people who don't follow this turn on, "their news source of choice," it's doubtful it's going to change their opinions.

I agree, R244; the Republicans are try to pull him off the main topic.

R245, I think we knew that before this hearing began.

yeah so far I don't think the needle will have been moved.

The repubs are casting doubt on the report

Democrats are doing their best IMO but it depends how the media handles this

JFC Brian Williams just said something like, "this is not looking good for Democrats ! For instance, so and so said Don McGahn's name wrong 3 times! NOT LOOKING GOOD!!!"

Cedric Richmond is kinda hot

Yes, R247 but I liked seeing him say it.

Cedric aRichmond is so fine!

Mary r241! I was not criticizing Pelosi, I think she is correct there. Take a deep breath dear.

Cedric's questioning going VERY well

he plays baseball too so he probably got a body

Mueller really has "old man voice"

Richmond zeroing in on one of the most significant of the episodes in which the Mueller report suggested that all three elements necessary to be obstruction of justice were met: trying to bully McGahn into falsifying a piece of evidence relevant to an ongoing investigation at a time when McGahn was a key witness about it.

Yes,R233- the same. What does that have to do w anything? It is manifestly upsetting that he appears out of his realm- which will- undoubtedly give turd twitter ammunition. Mueller does not at all appear sharp, and it looks bad for Dems. The fact is, he should expose Trump for what Trump is, and yet - he is either clingimg to his R affiliation or is doddering and confused. Either way, its not good for Dems. He needs to take lessons from HRC on how to handle the republitards.

This is all a bit weedy.

omfg that piece of shit Gaetz is up now

The troll obsessed troll is paranoid, You can be a Dem and still recognize and point out when things aren’t going well. Lighten up. Jeez.

Oh fuck this Gaetz guy. He is straight out of central casting to play the asshole bully.

God, I hate Gaetz. He looks like a little girl diddler.

Poor Gaetz had no backup argument!

[quote]Democrats are doing their best IMO but it depends how the media handles this

Remember, it's the media who reported the Barr Report/Summary as being fact (and didn't even question it) back in April.

Uh that makes no sense.

Either Russians lied to Steele or Steele lied... those are the only two possibilities!

Looks like Mueller may have served mainly as a prestigious figurehead for this investigation, which is why he didn’t want to testify and insisted on bringing an aide.

Gaetz has one of the most punchable faces ever

If I were Mueller I would sing like a bird and leak to the media after all this.

Is this Gaetz going to let him speak.

Why is he so aggressive?

notice how Gaetz is trying to bring up things that aren't in the report to make Democrats look bad

[quote]omfg that piece of shit Gaetz is up now

I like Deadspin's description of him: "Large-headed psychopath Matt Gaetz."

Oh Mueller finally got ruffled!

Jeez...that doughy, smug, fat fuck Gaetz is an idiot.

the problem is yes most of what repubs are saying is bullshit BUT for Americans who haven't been following the case, theatrics might seem "confident" aka true. We just don't know if Americans will see through the bullshit or not

No one has ever suggested Steele worked for the Russians. Gaetz is LYING!

[quote] Jordan was slimy regarding the Ohio State abuse story.

His day of reckoning is coming. Gym Jordan is a sexual deviant.

Gaetz and Lindsey probably meet weekly to practice acting like assholes.

Hakeem Jeffries is very measured. I expect him to move up the ranks in the future, whether future Speaker of the House/Majority leader, or maybe he'll run for Schumer's Senate seat when he retires or maybe even President some day

And yet Mueller did nothing to defend himself against Gaetz.

And Americans won’t see through these dramas. Especially w Mueller acting sort of doddering,

The contrast of black congress reps from the south versus their white counterparts from the same region of the US. Incredible the difference of human decency. Now, why would that be?

If someone hasn't been following the Mueller report news, what makes you think they are going to pay attention to this testimony? It's a moot point really.

Mueller's family was threatened.

Trump is protected by Satan.

God on vacation. God quit. Last day was July 23, 2019.

- TFIFY

I wondered why the Dems weren't asking Mueller to read aloud damning passages from the report. Now I know: the NY Times says that Mueller’s team told the committees that the former special counsel would decline to read from the report if asked during the hearing.

R279 that's my concern. A lot of people who aren't knowledgeable about how things work go off of appearances. Mueller is often shaky and asking for questions to be repeated and he doesn't push back that much on repubs.

The Jeffries part is strong now. He's going through obstructive acts good follow up to Richmond

It's more to do with party than race, R280. Southern conservatives are the worst.

Which I've said myself, R260. The problem is there are multiple people here saying bullshit just to rile others up, which was pointed out long before I said anything, even though now you're sobbing like a baby because I pointed it out.

We're on a thread where many are bemoaning Americans just believing what they want regardless of information being supplied to them, but when someone points out trolls, suddenly "stop telling us information, just lighten up, you're paranoid."

Irony can be pretty ironic sometimes.

I hope that at least few people who are on the fence will realize that the Mueller report contains actual , under oath, testimony from witnesses to Trump's crimes. And no amount of Republican deflection and accusations can change that.

Jeffries has projected a chart in the hearing room that shows the three criteria for obstruction of justice. He is walking through those elements.

[quote] Looks like Mueller may have served mainly as a prestigious figurehead for this investigation, which is why he didn’t want to testify and insisted on bringing an aide.

This will probably be the biggest revelation of the day. It seems like this is just an exercise in quoting parts of the report to Mueller for the cameras. Maybe that was needed, but it's not going to change anything.

R281 a lot of people are watching this, many more than those who followed the last 2 years. That's why the Democrats wanted a public hearing so badly. Television is most effective

omg Mueller "I don't subscribe" to what Jeffires just said. Fuck off

r257, he cannot talk about ongoing investigations.

Mueller seems to be reading the report for the first time! OMG, maybe there WAS Obstructed of Justice!

Mueller says he does "not necessarily support" Jeffries’ analysis of Trump's obstruction of justice.

They wanted a televised hearing so they could find sound bites to use r290. This is just going to be chopped up into a few short clips. That's all most Americans will ever see.

[quote]Looks like Mueller may have served mainly as a prestigious figurehead for this investigation, which is why he didn’t want to testify and insisted on bringing an aide.

That's got to be the case, there's no other real explanation.

As the morning has gone on, he's become more confident, but he still very obviously doesn't want to be held responsible for nailing Trump on Trump's obvious crimes, even though he's already done all this investigation into them.

The good thing is that every Democrat thus far has ended with "no one is above the law including the president."

Hammer that home.

Mueller is exposed as a foolish doddering old man. His reputation is destroyed and he is eternally embarrassed. What a sad show for the end of a career.

Well he just handed Trump an early Xmas present, R294.

Mueller is determined not to appear cooperative with Democrats. He wants this over so he can go home and take a nap.

R294 A true facepalm moment.

so far only that Roby female repub hasn't yelled or badgered Mueller. All the male repubs have so far

OT - Can someone WW me? Something's wrong with notification button - thanks.

After this, Trump is going to get an extra scoop of ice cream for his chocolate cake. Me? I'm going to drink a whole bottle of wine.

Jeffries did an excellent job of listing the three elements of the crime of obstruction of justice, and then showing how Trump satisfied each of those three elements. What the hell was with Mueller saying he didn't "subscribe" to Jeffries pretty much proving that Trump should be indicted for obstruction of justice?

[quote]If someone hasn't been following the Mueller report news, what makes you think they are going to pay attention to this testimony?

If someone hasn't been following Fox News, they'll have no idea what in the hell Gohmert, Gaetz and Jordan et al are talking about.

Done R303. Did it work?

That millennial in the background just farted.

the repubs are really hammering the idea that Mueller should have either charged or declined to charge

Mueller is a Republican. You can't trust Republicans. Not Stormy, not Comey, not any of the Never-Trumpers with 500K followers on Twitter, and not Mueller.

Mueller is probably the most trustworthy, comparatively speaking, but he's still a Republican and doesn't want to give up party loyalty. That's why he freaked out and said he didn't subscribe to Jeffries's clear explanation of obstruction of justice. He doesn't want any Republican to think he turned a dime on Donnie.

We don't get WW notifications anymore. They're off, not broken.

Instead you get a list of notifications by clicking the bell in the upper right corner, but you have to be a paying member to see them.

Do we think McGahn will cooperate if called to testify?

Not after this.

No, r307. Try again please? Thanks a lot.

The advantage of the new system is before couldn't get WW notifications on mobile. Now that they are listed it doesn't matter.

Done R314

R314, read R311.

Talk about trolls... R298.

McGahn was called to testify. The White House told him not to show, and he didn't.

Buck got Mueller to say that the only reason Trump wasn't indicted was because the DOJ prohibited it. I think that could be another decent soundbite. But of course Trumpsters won't care, they think the fix is in.

[quote]What the hell was with Mueller saying he didn't "subscribe" to Jeffries pretty much proving that Trump should be indicted for obstruction of justice?

Party Before Country.

Muller did tell the republican from Colorado that they could file charges for obstruction after Trump leaves office.

Thanks r311. Wasn't aware notifications is no longer functioning.

Mueller’s reputation will be in tatters. And I don’t understand the I don’t subscribe to Jeffries discussion of obstruction. Is it really party before country? wTF?

he said it again to Cicilline

McGahn is the guy they need to have here.

[quote]Gaetz and Lindsey probably meet weekly to practice acting like assholes.

I love bitch slap fests!

Wait, did Mueller just indicate that the investigation was ended early?

What are those buttons all the Repugs are wearing?

Exactly, R322. That was a confirmation of something he said earlier, too. Getting that Trump CAN be indicted when he's out of office, and that he wasn't indicted now because of the DOJ, is pretty good stuff.

Notifications only cite the R number. Not very helpful.

There were 19 investigators who worked on the investigation. To think Mueller wrote the entire report is just dumb. There's probably 19 different contributions.

You can click it and be transported to the post r331, just like before.

I expect that Trump's rally's will now include a blistering imitation of American hero Muellar that will delight his deplorables while Trump basks in the glory of their adoration.

I missed it, R328 -- do you mean something Biggs questioned him on?

This is the judiciary committee, which is looking into obstruction. Why are the Repugs focusing on part 1 of the Mueller report, which covers the Russia conspiracy? That’s the purvue for the intelligence committee later today.

R334 yeah I think Trump will call him "stumbling Mueller" or something stupid like that

R329, Trump's puckered hole.

Thanks r316!

- r314

R336 because the obstruction part is so damning They're trying to show that the inception of the investigation is so questionable that the obstruction isn't really obstruction because Trump is an innocent man who was frustrated

R335 I missed who was asking the question. They mentioned something about a Fax and then it seemed time was up and they moved on and he didn't finish answering.

OK Swalwell please do this well

Maybe Trump will tell Mueller to go back where he came from.

Does anyone disagree that if all Republicans disappeared into thin air the world would be a much better place?

Swalwell going back to the question that was earlier cut off by Nadler. Good.

I liked how Swalwell framed it as "Drumpf's Obstruction."

ooh bringing up the letter signed by all those former federal prosecutors

Doesn't matter if there was an underlying crime (conspiracy) or not. Obstruction of the investigation is a separate crime.

Getting rid of the Deplorables would actually make America great r345.

Ted Lieu let's go!!!

How is the order of questioning determined? It’s not alphabetical. What is it?

R349 right but repubs don't want the public to know that

Muscle man Swallwell!!! Hot!

Good on Swalwell for giving his time to a colleague. Not many pols would do that (even if they get another shot at the spotlight in a second hearing).

Love Ted Lieu.

And I love that they keep laying out the checklist of obstruction.

What is the consensus so far?

First Trump tweet relating to the hearing:

“Mueller was asked whether or not the investigation was impeded in any way, and he said no.” In other words, there was NO OBSTRUCTION.

Is Ted the last one? He’s summing up the case.

R357 it depends. Some Americans will fall for the flash and dramatics of the repubs regardless of the fact they're mischaracterizing and lying. Other Americans will see how much Trump obstructed justice

Nope. How many are there?

Nope. How many are there?

Thanks, R360.

omg McClintock is citing Greg Jarrett? lmfao he's not credible!

Mueller needs to shut up with the, "I do not necessarily prescribe to your assertion."

There are 41 people on the committee. Time will run out before they all get a chance to ask questions.

Trump Administration defense is always:

We were too inept to collude so our "failure" to do it means there was no collusion

We were too inept to obstruct justice so our "failure" to fire Muller means there was no obstruction.

I wish one of the questioners had a Cosmo or a can of Budweiser on the dais in front of them.

Mueller dilutes any effectiveness he could have with his determination to go down the path of rigid rectitude, and his refusal to respond beyond his report.

Why is McClintock defending Russia?

I wonder if these SNL bitches are now mortified they participated in this?

Who votes for these Republican assholes? Oh yeah, other assholes.

Seems today's hearing confirms an impression of Mueller from his "exit" statement to the press when he left. He seems so constrained by his idea of what his role and performance should be, he almost can't speak. He's shaky, old, limited in understanding. History may show he was the wrong man for the job. He may have failed his country.

We are going to have to vote Trump out. I don’t see any hope of impeachment and they’ve blown their wad with this hearing, I don’t see other hearings being effective after this.

r370, he wants to present his own narrative to the base

I'm so glad Raskin has decided to start combing and styling his wild hair

I was hoping for a miracke, but now I give up on Mueller.

Mueller: Yes, Reps. Jeffries and Lieu, you may have laid out solid evidence that Trump fulfilled all three elements of the crime of obstruction of justice, but I already have a long-time subscription to the Republican Party, so I can't also subscribe to what you've just proven today.

I would love for one of the Democrats to apologize to Mueller on behalf of their Republican colleagues who are lying liars.

Why, r371?

They need to change the way they hold hearings. Attacking someone accomplishes and tells us nothing. It does tell us the Republicans are desperate to protect Trump. There should Only be questions allowed. No statements, not bringing up people that have nothing to do with the hearing, no bringing up the border wall which has nothing to do with this etc.

They also need to do something about the time limits. People are so desperate to ask all their questions they don't wait for Mueller to answer. They should pick only a certain amount of people and they should only be allowed to ask 3 questions so they can get answers.

r373, I'm not seeing it that way. It seems to me that he is operating within the scope of his work. He is not going to give his personal opinion. He investigated and that is the limit of his office. There ware ongoing investigations he can't comment on. It's up to Congress to pick up the ball.

Another shitshow

Richmond, Jeffries and Lieu were all very good

Deutch and Bass too

none of the Democrats have been bad but Mueller is so difficult to deal with

Mueller makes Joe Biden look youthful and radiant.

After the excellent show from Lieu and Jeffries, after Mueller confirmed that Trump wasn't indicted only because of the DOJ opinion, after Mueller confirmed that Trump instructed staff to lie and falsify records, NOW we're getting even MORE people posting Mueller is a failure?

Mmm hmm.

Debbie Lesko looks like a big frau

What’s Roseanne doing there?

Lesko is a real cunt

Mueller just waits out the speeches. He doesn’t volunteer anything.

so repubs keep trying to say that because Mueller was never fired, Trump didn't obstruct. lol

I really hope the legal analysts on all the non-cable channels CBS, ABC, NBC and PBS clarify that Mueller didn't have to be fired for Trump to obstruct

Can any of his “I don’t necessarily agree” comments be electronically shortened to say “I agree”?

Lesko is flailing

Ooof, Debbie!

No, Lesko is trying to be a badass cunt, but she's failing.

omg Lesko trying to make Mueller seem like a liberal hack due to how much he cited the NYT and WaPo

R386: That is inspite of Mueller. Mueller is being difficult and he "did not subscribe" to what the Jeffries and Lieu said about obstruction.

$50 for cable news!?!? Sigh me up. I'm paying close to $200.

The Frau cow Lesko from Arizona.

is she related to Megan McCain? Looks like her in about 20 years

If the GOP had integrity and did their jobs, this would be an impeachment hearing.

Sign not sigh, but I'm sighing, too.

I hope if Mueller writes a book after this that someone else records the audio version.

Jayapal should have a strong showing

I wish Mueller had said this: "Well, we would have quoted Fox News too, but we were only going to quote credible news sources."

Is Pramila in The Squad?

I was just about to say, the dumb bitch tried to go viral with that cable statement and failed miserably. $50 for cable? Try again you moron.

The GOP are up to their eyeballs in this thing, the last thing they want is extended investigations into the conspiracy with Russia and the obstruction of justice.

YES Pramila bring up the pardon!!!

Bottom line: Too boring to move the dial. Barr wins.

remember we still don't know why a group of repubs went to Moscow for July 4th, 2018

Jayapal hitting some good points

Mueller is getting trounced. BY REPUBLICANS!

Jeffries is hot. Shockingly, he is 48. But he looks at least 15 years younger -- based on that he could be a Datalounger.

R410 it will depend how the media covers this

Jayapal put in some good work right there

Look, Muellar isn't a clear speaker and has trouble hearing, but that doesn't mean his report isn't accurate or credible. Example. My elderly mother could write her thoughts beautifully and express herself in a very articulate manner, but she just couldn't speak well. I still believe in Muellar's report.

R415 yes he is and I expect him to become more prominent in the future. He's very measured

R415 yes he is and I expect him to become more prominent in the future. He's very measured

Another Republican douchebag.

R386 Because what the Dem reps say will have NO impact on what the country thinks about this (those who haven't already made up their mind). Poll today say increased number of Democrats think the investigation wasn't fair. Democrats. Those who want to remove this criminal President are losing ground. Mueller could well, within in the law, say things much more clearly than "staying within his purview"... did you see the Watergate hearings? Think of how Jaworski spoke compared to Mueller.

[QUOTE]Bottom line: Too boring to move the dial. Barr wins.

Nancy wins, too. Impeachment is dead after this, and that’s just what she wanted.

If Mueller does indeed have problems hearing, he should be wearing a hearing aid. Especially today.

R415, he is yummy.

R386 Think of the Watergate hearings. Think of Jaworski. Mueller, personally, has failed his duty.

I just don't get how Mueller can do this apolitical shit when he knows how serious Trump's conduct has been.

The Repubs aren’t scoring any points. They just seem petty, argumentative and rude. Dems are respectful and calm.

[QUOTE]If Mueller does indeed have problems hearing, he should be wearing a hearing aid. Especially today.

The only thing Mueller wants to hear is his wife’s voice, and it’s probably crystal clear in the quiet comfort of their home. He didn’t want to be here. It was forced on him.

Mueller disagrees that he left out exculpatory evidence about Trump.

Ted Lieu was a good Dem questioner. Not impressed with any of the others.

Repubs are telling their lies on issues Mueller can't answer. So their lies stand. Therefore, they are kicking our ass. Fox will play their crap over and over.

Jeffrey Stoobin is right. He said it should be the committee lawyers who ask the questions!

wow this guy was a JAG and he's defending Trump

pathetic

Reschenthaler says Mueller's actions were un-American. Mueller says nothing.

These assholes want to talk about flying in the face of justice and what is un-American?

Go fuck yourselves.

Val Demings good work

Outright liars!

I love how Jordan's extra time basically ended at 10 seconds.

[quote]Val Demings good work

Yes, she got Mueller to agree that Trump officials telling falsehoods may have impeded his investigation.

R427, the Republicans aren't saying anything new that hasn't been said on Fox before and will be regurgitated once again tonight. Whether or not Muellar is effective, the Democrats have made a solid case for obstruction of justice. They have been clear and united.

I'm proud of the Democrats. We look back at Watergate with the luxury of editing those hearings, but they were not nearly as dramatic as they have been protrayed. They definitely had their moments, and the same kind of grandstanding, etc, but I think these hearings are going just fine and I don't agree with those who say the Dems are "losing ground." That is just bullshit.

There’s only one septuagenarian who can stop Donald Trump, and it damn sure ain’t Bob Mueller.

if Mueller thought his report was mischaracterized, just wait until his testimony gets the same spin. He could have set the intended characterization, but he has surrendered it to the Repugs,

[quote] Poll today say increased number of Democrats think the investigation wasn't fair. Democrats.

Based on the redacted report and Barr's incorrect summary.

Yeah, the GOP propaganda and lies works, especially when the media shills for them. That's not news. This hearing is part of what's being done to combat that.

I said it was suspicious that we had an increase in "Mueller is terrible and we're doomed" posts AFTER we scored some solid hits in the questioning the morning, You say that it's not suspicious because of an unrelated poll. That's because you're deflecting: you have no answer for why the trolls ramped up after a good showing from several Democratic representatives.

And acting as though we shouldn't even be having these hearings because it doesn't matter anyway is bullshit.

By Washington Post Staff July 24 at 10:41 AM

Former special counsel Robert S. Mueller III is testifying publicly before two separate congressional panels Wednesday and for the first time is addressing questions about his investigation of President Trump and Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The first hearing, before the House Judiciary Committee chaired by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), began just after 8:30 a.m., and the second, before the House Intelligence Committee, will begin at noon.

Democratic lawmakers are digging into the episodes Mueller outlined in his 448-page report of potential obstruction of justice by Trump. Mueller has said that he preferred not to say more about his work in public and — if made to do so — that he would not speak beyond what was detailed in his report.

Republicans, meanwhile, are grilling Mueller on what they view as impropriety in his investigation, focusing intensely on anti-Trump text messages exchanged by an FBI agent and an FBI lawyer who worked on the case.

Follow our live coverage here throughout the day.

10:30 a.m.: “I’m just going to leave it as it appears in the report”

Back from a break, Rep. Cedric L. Richmond (D-La.) tried to press Mueller on an episode in his report alleging that Trump had directed former White House counsel Donald McGahn to have the special counsel fired, and then lie about it.

As he has throughout the hearing, Mueller merely confirmed that the lines that Richmond read were accurate.

“Correct,” he said repeatedly, as Richmond described the episode. “Generally true.”

Richmond tried to convince Mueller to elaborate, asking the open-ended question, “Can you explain what you meant there?” But Mueller balked.

“I’m just going to leave it as it appears in the report,” he said.

I know nothing about Cline

[quote] I think these hearings are going just fine and I don't agree with those who say the Dems are "losing ground." That is just bullshit.

Agreed. I don't think people who are saying that this is bad for Democrats are saying so in good faith. That includes the media. Their immediate hot takes about how this was bad need to be updated, now that more good information has come out and now that Mueller is getting better at answering.

[quote] I think these hearings are going just fine and I don't agree with those who say the Dems are "losing ground." That is just bullshit.

Agreed. I don't think people who are saying that this is bad for Democrats are saying so in good faith. That includes the media. Their immediate hot takes about how this was bad need to be updated, now that more good information has come out and now that Mueller is getting better at answering.

[quote]Reschenthaler says Mueller's actions were un-American.

It's often a tactic of propagandists to accuse thei enemies of what they themselves do. Like Trump always referring the fake news.

why doesn't Nadler let Mueller reply when the repubs interrupt and talk over him?

R447 and the sad part is that guy was a JAG!!! Talking to Mueller in that way for a draft dodger and traitor like Trump

For anyone watching the entire hearing, it's clear the Republicans aren't letting Mueller speak, especially when he wants to add some valuable context.

R442 Newsflash, I'm not the enemy A socialist who thinks the Dems should have passed a resolution of impeachment when the report was first released. Dems, both leadership and those who criticize them, have been inept since then. I was alive during the Watergate hearings. Those hearings shifted public opinion and got rid of Nixon. Today's hearings will do very, very little.

Bill Kristol:

These could both be true: Robert Mueller isn’t a dazzling or dynamic or even a particularly compelling witness at a congressional hearing; and his report, along with his testimony, is entirely truthful and damning.

R447, someone should let that Reschenthaler bloke know that his name is German. VERY un-American.

So are the Rethugs all done?

there are more Democrats in the House and on the panels

Steube is a piece of shit too

I know that, R455, but Ds shouldn't be the only ones asked to limit their time.

Twitter is amplifying the message on both sides. The press is emphasizing how little new information there is.

“Just fine” in not good enough.

Mueller really doesn't care to pay attention.

It's been years of this and no one has challenged Rethugs and pointed out that the Steele Dossier was started by one of their fellow Rethugs.

I do wonder how the public will react to all the times Mueller says that he can't/won't answer questions

the repubs and Fox are going to say Mueller is hiding something and then have more conspiracy theories

hopefully the public won't be watching that shit

[quote]Rep. Buck: "Could you charge the president with a crime after he left office?"

Mueller: "Yes."

Buck: "You believe that you could charge the president of the United States with obstruction of justice after he left office?"

Mueller: "Yes."

Steube is a total asshole and has to be closeted. Straight men don't have that kind of finesse when dressing.

Steube looks like satan.

Once again, Mueller basically doesn't state that his investigation wasn't ended early.

[quote] "you could charge the president of the United States with obstruction of justice after he left office?"

Let's hope that the next President will allow that prosecution to occur.

Two and a half years of threads where "Mueller has Trump cornered !" and "Trump will be gone by the end the year!", all leading to this.

R463 I heard that as well. I think he meant in general that a president can be indicted once they leave office but it might be a good sound bite out of this mess.

This hearing format (and the way Mueller resists, and so interrupts any narrative flow) doesn't tell the story that they wanted to tell. A couple strong talking points. But by Friday, this hearing will no longer be news. Not at all what was hoped for.

Maybe the second hearing will generate the "picture" that can move the needle.

[quote]I think he meant in general that a president can be indicted once they leave office but it might be a good sound bite out of this mess.

Yes, I expect he'll clarify that this afternoon ... or that his office will release a statement to that effect.

Mueller testified that Iraq had WMDs. Fuck him.

This is how frustrating the hearing has become: I'm pissed he won't even answer REPUBLICAN questions.

[quote]Rep. Buck: "Could you charge the president with a crime after he left office?" Mueller: "Yes." Buck: "You believe that you could charge the president of the United States with obstruction of justice after he left office?" Mueller: "Yes."

Mueller finally refuting something

When I listen to the stupidity of the Republican Congressmembers, It's no wonder our country is so fucked up. You have to be a special kind of stupid to be a Republican.

And yet these Rethugs don't have an issue with Mueller being a Rethug... nor Barr... nor .....

Trump fundraising text: “Pres. Trump: There was NO COLLUSION! Let's tell the Dems to end this WITCH HUNT by raising $2,000,000 in 24 HOURS! Contribute NOW”

and the lawyers who investigated Bill Clinton weren't biased?

So fucking rich for a Republican like Armstrong to be talking about conflicts of interest.

God, Rethugs really love to jack off to Hillary.

Finally we get to Donnie Jr.

Armstrong's point... is basically what HE JUST DID. Accused the report of being false because of supposed ties to Clinton.

Jesus, Rethugs are morons.

it's all part of their deep state conspiracy. Fox will love that

Fox News isn't broadcasting this hearing. They will devote the entire day to editing and cherry picking sound bites from those nasty ass Repugs and selecting as many clips as they can to portray Mueller as a doddering old fool.

THAT is what they will broadcast to the faithful.

Yeah, that exchange will the leadoff of Hannity tonight.

Neguse did well

[quote]Fox News isn't broadcasting this hearing.

Yes it is.

didn't the IG report say Strzok and Page had personal bias but not professional bias?

I know on the surface this looks like a win for the Republican narrative, but I have a weird sense of hope that, this time, the Democrats are on to something that not even the Republicans can spin. The Democrats have really made an open and shut case for obstruction of justice. All the blah, blah about Hillary, Struck and the Steele dossier can not dismiss that. I think the Democrats are over the whole Russia thing. They have a rock solid case on obstruction.

yeah repubs are doing more than talking than asking

Anyone else wonder if Mueller had a visit from some thugs threatening his family?

Repug refers to the "infamous and widely publicized bias of your investigative team" -- straight from the Fox playbook.

wow that North Dakota guy was really shitheady

Mueller should announce tomorrow that he’s leaving the Republican Party.

McBath is the one who lost her son to gun violence. She's a good lady

We thank you for your service... and now we will go on to smear it.

Go ahead, McBath!!!! She's my Congresswoman!!!!!

good job bringing up all the Trump campaign people who have been charged/convicted

The Republicans want this to be over so they "can get back to the important issues of this country." Translation - making the GOP richer and screwing the American people.

What is happening with CNN? They have last night's show with Chris Cuomo on? Have they been hacked?

wow a white Democratic hetero man from Arizona?

Despite the clamor of Trump’s loyal minority and the press’s both-sides-ism, most Americans are done with Trump so he will be voted out.

uh oh stuff about Barr

After earlier choosing to say nothing about Barr's summary, apparently Mueller did later say the summary “raised some issues." Glad they repeated some questions.

Mc Bath flipped a district too. The woman she unseated was a POS who licked Trumpass and had a reputation among Georgia Republicans as among the worst. She is now running to take the district away from Mc Bath so if you have any loose money laying around give some to Mc Bath She does an excellent job and deserves to stay in Congress. Georgia is working hard to get rid of the racist clowns who are strangling the life out of us.

He has the chance to clear up perceived confusion about Barr’s summary and he’s taking a hard pass.

NYT's Charlie Savage:

Interesting to look at how aggressively conservative media is playing this. Fox News homepage: “Bob Ducks and Weaves: Flustered Mueller asks for questions to be repeated, blanks on Fusion GPS in contentious hearing.” Drudge Report: “Dazed and Confused.”

What today's hearing confirms for me (we'll see if something different happens in the next hearing) is that there needs to focus and unity on winning the 2020 election. The time spent spinning and arguing, the Squad v Nancy, the drumbeat for impeachment and the resistance to that, squabbling about how left the party should be, even Clinton-phobia still in the noise... EVERYTHING needs to focus on the strategies to beat Trump, regain the Senate, in November, 2020.

wow never heard of Johnson from Louisiana before but what a piece of shit

R492: I said that early in this thread. He sure as fuck acts like it!

R509, please repost that in the Mueller thread. It needs to be READ and ABSORBED by many of those posters.

Uh, when will this end? Doesn’t he have another hearing to go to?

Surprised a man of Mueller's age doesn't wear glasses.

I think this is the last questioner.

Trump has set the nation on fire and Mueller is fiddling like a motherfucker. He’s not a patriot, he is an enabler.

R516: Or scared.

They will break for lunch then come back for the closed door hearing.

Republican strategist Tara Setmayer:

I’m astonished at how intellectually dishonest the Reps all are.

Totally uninterested in the truth, clear presidential wrongdoing or the attack on this country by a foreign enemy & the willingness by the sitting president’s campaign engage in accepting stolen info from Russia.

This hearing isn't just about impeachment though, it's about getting it through some American's thick skulls that Trump is a criminal who shouldn't have been in office in the first place.

Dismissing this hearing because it won't lead to impeachment is foolish. Of COURSE we should look toward defeating him in 2020. Even if impeachment hearings started when the House went back into session in a few weeks, we wouldn't have enough time to get rid of Trump, because he won't resign.

We need this information out there to help with the 2020 election. How do some of you not know that?

He had to be prompted about which POTUS he served under during different time in his careers. He most definitely has early stage dementia. He was zoning out, confused, and it was clear he was struggling to comprehend.

Is DL on Primetime? I'm surprised that this thread isn't already on at least part 3.

Sadly I don't know if this first hearing will move the needle for impeachment. Too many of the public will be stuck on Mueller not answering certain questions and asking things to be repeated

a lot of people fall for the confident display of repubs to mean honest

At last! It’s done! Not bad, not great.

Agreed. This is huge. If the MSM are on it.

Tom Nichols:

I’ve never been prouder to be an ex-Republican than today.

I think Mueller got stronger as time went on. I believe he will be better in the next hearing.

As long as Trump can be charged when he leaves office, I'm fine.

The timeline shouldn't matter as long as justice is served.

Be aware that R521 is a troll.

let's see how the media covers this

My prediction was that we wouldn't get any soundbites, but we got two or three good ones, so it actually went better than I thought it would.

He also confirmed this, which I hope gets some media attention.

This man spent more than 2 years of his life investigating this case and he has no balls to answer questions or explain his report to the general public. He should know by now that his report DOES NOT speak for itself. What a lousy performance. I really don't understand this person. This was his opportunity to tell the general public about his findings.

How many times did he say: I can't answer this, I have nothing to add, the report/letter etc speaks fir itself....

Fuck You Robert Mueller!

I hate Trump but I am a bit uncomfortable with charging an ex President with crimes because you just know if it happens to a Republican President the Republicans will turn around and do it to a Democratic President but I am also uncomfortable with a President getting away with serious crimes that affect the nation, but not a President who obstructed justice by lying about an sexual affair. Of all the things Trump has done, I care the least about his lies about his affairs.

He good Comrade this Mueller!

History is still waiting for the hero who will stand up to tyranny. Mueller stayed seated.

The Intelligemce Cmte hearing was scheduled to start at noon. No word yet on when it will begin.

R520 Of course the "case needs to be made" to the American public, information needs to get out... but I fear the expectation for something significant would come out in this morning's hearing isn't met. In that Mueller's closed-down affect won't help "get information out." The Dems say what they've been saying. The Repubs do their shuck-and-jive obfuscation and mean-girl huffing. Nothing new. And that there is nothing new it might eventually land flat with the voters how aren't very involved anyway. In short, THIS HEARING isn't how to beat Trump.

R534, you hate Trump but the argue that he should not be charged with him obstructing Mueller’s investigation. Um, ok . . .

The Intelligence Cmte hearing will start sometime after 12:30.

Ken Starr who investigated Bill Clinton is on Fox claiming the Mueller report is unfair because Trump doesn't have a chance to defend himself from the report, You just can't make this stuff up. Oh they hypocrisy.

Doesn't matter, the guys in NY will charge him with something when he leaves. I'm pretty sure they will.

Eric Swalwell pointing out on MSNBC that Rethugs did not even dispute any of the evidence in Mueller's report that laid out obstruction... that all they did was bitch about the process.

who the fuck is fusion GPS?

R539 I stated my reasons, and that I am also uncomfortable with an Ex President getting away with a crime, so unfortunate you chose to respond with reading my entire post.

Also I didn't argue he shouldn't be charged, just that I am uncomfortable with it because Republicans will do it to a Democrat. If you want to get outraged find something worth while to be outraged about.

[quote] I think the Democrats are over the whole Russia thing.

I'm not sure Democrats ever thought it was all about the Russia thing. We just wanted Trump out of office.

MSNBC commentary that Mueller should never have testified? "not sharp... confused... unprepared... his staffers failed him..." Imagine what Fox, Drudge, Breitbart will say...

Nicole Wallace just said that this is not the Mueller she worked under and his staffers sitting behind him are solely to blame. That unless this is the first time they have sever seen him perform this way, it was their responsibility to better prepare him so he wasn't set up for failure.

Even prominent Democrats are characterizing Mueller's testimony as "disastrous".

he wasn't gonna win either way...

maybe the pressure got to him...too much stress. He's old.

R523 Impeachment will never happen McConnell will never bring it up for a vote in the Senate.

I'm glad Mueller didn't get into arguments with the Republicans who kept baiting him, misstating lying deliberately, etc. Mueller made a conscious decision to stick to the report and not be baited or get into a pissing contest with a bunch of skunks. Sciutto gave the best analysis. Jake Tapper has been pissing me off lately.

[quote]Imagine what Fox, Drudge, Breitbart will say...

Chris Wallace: "A disaster for the reputation of Robert Mueller...it raises questions as to the degree to which he was actually in charge and control of this report."

But that has nothing to do with the substance of the report, which remains very damning to Trump.

David Axelrod just threw Mueller under the bus.

Well, if Rethugs want to use this to question Mueller's ability to have been in charge of the report then....

REDO!

R551, I am pretty sure impeachment isn't a thing that that McConnell would have the option to not bring up, but 2/3 of the Senate just isn't going to vote to remove Trump.

Axelrod's tweets are sympathetic to Mueller, I don't get that he threw him under the bus.

Mueller established that Barr lied about him and the report and that he would have indicted Trump but for the DOJ memo—i.e., Trump is a crook. If it wasn’t great theater, so be it.

ABC has an interesting crew to comment, including Chris Christie.

Nicole Wallace just said:

Democrats were on a fact finding mission. Republicans were auditioning to be the next host on Fox News. Matt Gaetz was ridiculously auditioning to be a fill in host for Sean Hannity.

I agree STRONGLY with R509!! Those 20 Democrat candidates who will be debating exactly one week from now need to focus SOLELY on the fact that we have currently have a FELON in the White House, and do we want to award said felon four more years of power? DROP all the stupid shit they kick around: busing, reparations, race issues, free college, Medicare for all, etc etc etc, needs to take a back seat to handing Trump the biggest defeat EVER - and that includes how to beat the fucking ELECTORAL COLLEGE, which is how he is going to try to ram himself through again this time!!!

They have plenty of other debates coming in the future: I would love to see this be the SOLE TOPIC they discuss.

R557, 36 minutes ago . . .

Twitter › davidaxelrod

David Axelrod

This is very, very painful.

Isn't it odd that the Republicans were so intent on attacking Mueller, his investigative team and the report given that Trump says they "totally exonerated" him?

It's painful for the FUCKING COUNTRY to realize that a fat orange FELON is sitting in the White House, and is bucking for another FOUR YEARS!

Maybe Axelrod was referring to the Republicans' performance, which was indeed painful.

We live in an era where style matters more than substance. People want drama and snappy soundbites. It doesn't matter how damning the report is. What people will take away from all of this is that Mueller, who was touted all along as an incredibly sharp and competent, is a stuttering, stammering, clueless old man, which will cast doubt on the whole investigation.

Chuck Todd just called Mueller's appearance a "disaster".

Sort of funny that it was the Rethug for Colorado who pushed the questioning too far that allowed Mueller to say that Drumpf could be charged after he leaves office.

Chuck Todd is also a useless asshole.

I know, R562, and the followup:

[quote]Not a commentary on the content. The report is damning. That was reenforced today. He has been an exemplary public servant, as people are both sides attested, but he clearly was struggling today and that was painful.

It's not throwing him under the bus. It's not like the Repugs weren't going to go "he's a doddering old fool who didn't even write his own report!" unless David Axelrod tweeted.

R565, LOL!

Nicole just pointed out that we have to not focus on Mueller's performance but rather what was brought to light, all of Drumpf's lies and interference, which Mueller highlighted and confirmed.

Rosie O’Donnell must be pulling her hair out.

What's really frightening about all this is that doddering Anthrax Bob still operates a motor vehicle.

Garry Kasparov:

The Mueller hearing is a show and all of the Reps are grandstanding. But the Democrats are doing it to impress voters while all the Republicans are only trying to impress Trump. That’s a huge difference, democracy vs autocracy.

What they needed to make clear was:

Robert Mueller has said that if he could have said Drumpf DIDNT commit a crime he would have. He didn't do that which means Drumpf committed crimes.

This is what the questioning reminded me of. Questions lobbed non-stop from all sides.

[quote] Nicole just pointed out that we have to not focus on Mueller's performance but rather what was brought to light, all of Drumpf's lies and interference, which Mueller highlighted and confirmed.

She's right, of course, but good luck with that. People ALWAYS focus on performance.

[quote]Chuck Todd just called Mueller's appearance a "disaster".

Chuck Todd is a hack.

Chuck Turd can SUCK MY DICK!

[QUOTE]Nicole just pointed out that we have to not focus on Mueller's performance

😂 Good luck with that.

I started a Part Two here:

Chuck Todd attacked Buzzfeed for publishing the Steele Dossier. How did that turn out? He is, at best, a fool.

I never liked Chuck Todd, but I know so many politically-minded older women who love him for some reason.

[quote]Chuck Todd just called Mueller's appearance a "disaster".

That's rich.

Ok, now let’s hear about Russian interference in the election!

He's back!

New thread for Hearing #2

"We have a felon sitting in the White House," says Rep. Ted Lieu, on MSNBC.

Schiff doing a nice job with his opening statement.

I'd forgive Mueller's performance if he asks Nunes how his cow is doing.

WTF Nunes saying it's really about the Democrats working with the Russians. He's crazy! Just like Trump.

R592 like Drumpf he projects.

[quote]History is still waiting for the hero who will stand up to tyranny.

No such hero exists, but Americans should take a look at the People of Puerto Rico, whose corrupt governor is about to resign.

Nunes isn't making his point, whatever it is.

But Schiff drove a lot of points home. Go Adam!

OMG, trying to figure out if Boris Johnson is a foreign agent! Hilarious!

Nunes is milking it for all it's worth in a cheesy attempt to butter up Trump's base.

All I would like Mueller to do to that pig Nunes and any other Republican, is when they characterize something as a witch hunt or attempt to discredit his investigation or impugn the reputations of him or his staff, simply say, Congressman you can jump to that conclusion if you want to, but that issue is under review by the Justice Department so out of Respect to the DoJ I will not comment.

I just hate Nunes SO MUCH, I understand why my old Granny used to say, " god don't let him be crossin the street an I'm in my car..... "

R598 he's trying to butter up Drump's hole.

And they're still talking about Hillary's emails...........................................zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The only way Nunes can get hard is thinking about Hillary Clinton.

Bajour

Hillary Clinton.. if I say it 20 times, I'll cum!!!

Jackie Speier and Robert Mueller have both been SHOT!

Nunes has at best been kicked in the head by a cow.