Mueller shuns spotlight, but says probe didn’t ‘exonerate’ Trump

President has claimed investigation cleared him of obstruction of justice

On a day House Democrats hoped Robert S. Mueller III’s televised testimony Wednesday would animate the special counsel’s 448-page report for the nation, the star witness eschewed the leading role with a muted performance with few soundbites during the first of two back-to-back hearings.

Mueller’s answers were concise. He often said simply, “True,” or “I rely on the language of the report.” The 74-year-old gray-haired Marine veteran and former FBI director frequently didn’t speak into the mic.

His voice didn’t carry well through the committee room and he asked for questions to be repeated. The famously tight-lipped former prosecutor, who didn’t comment for the duration of the nearly 22-month investigation, often declined to engage with leading questions, telling members “he wouldn’t get into that.”

View the complete July 24 article by Todd Ruger on The Roll Call website here.