JULY 21, 2019
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), above, said Sunday that the public needs to hear directly from former special counsel Robert S. Mueller III about his report on Russian interference in the 2016 campaign. – Leah Millis/Reuters
WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said Sunday that he believes there is “substantial evidence” that President Trump has committed high crimes and misdemeanors, defending his panel’s decision to call former special counsel Robert S. Mueller III to testify later this week.
In an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” Nadler (D-N.Y.) said the public needs to hear directly from Mueller about his report on Russian interference in the 2016 campaign. The former special counsel is scheduled to testify on Wednesday.
“The report presents very substantial evidence that the president is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors,” Nadler said. “And we have to let Mueller present those facts to the American people and then see where we go from there, because the administration must be held accountable and no president can be above the law.”
Aides say Nadler has privately voiced support for impeachment proceedings against Trump, but he has stopped short of publicly calling for such a move.
On Wednesday, when the House voted to kill an impeachment resolution filed by Rep. Al Green (D-Tex.), Nadler was among the 95 Democrats who voted to keep the measure alive. He and several other Democrats on the Judiciary Committee tried to persuade Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democratic leaders in the House to refer the articles of impeachment to their panel but were rebuffed, according to congressional officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal talks.
Democrats are hoping Wednesday’s testimony by Mueller shines a light on potential obstruction of justice by Trump. But they are divided about what they want next. Pelosi and other party leaders are reluctant to pursue an impeachment inquiry, while many rank-and-file members consider Mueller’s testimony their best shot at moving public sentiment toward ousting the president.
Courtesy/Source: Washington Post
