Mueller to make a public case for Trump impeachment with 'very substantial evidence' in congressional hearing, committee chairman says

'This is a president who has violated the law six ways from Sunday,' says Democrat Jerrold Nadler ahead of questioning lawyer in congress

Colin Drury
Monday 22 July 2019 10:11 BST
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Jerry Nadler says Mueller report presents 'very substantial evidence' Donald Trump guilty of 'high crimes and misdemeanors'

Robert Mueller will air "very substantial evidence" of wrongdoing by Donald Trump and make a public case for impeachment when he appears before congressional hearings this week, it has been claimed.

The lawyer’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election shows the US president is guilty of "high crimes and misdemeanours", says Jerrold Nadler, the House Judiciary Committee chairman.

"This is a president who has violated the law six ways from Sunday," the leading Democrat said. "We have to present, or let Mueller present, those facts to the American people...because the administration must be held accountable and no president can be above the law."

Mr Mueller will answer questions about his findings – which specifically looked at links between the Russian state and Mr Trump’s election campaign – during back-to-back hearings on Wednesday.

Analysts suggest his testimony could be pivotal in shifting public opinion on if the president should be held accountable for those apparent links.

The report itself – a redacted version of which was published in April – did not find sufficient evidence to establish charges of criminal conspiracy. But it did suggest Mr Trump may have tried to obstruct the investigation.

Now Democrats on the Judiciary Committee have said they plan to focus on a set of episodes laid out in the report to direct the attention of Americans to what they see as the most egregious examples of the president's conduct, which point to obstruction of justice.

Those examples include Mr Trump's directions to then-White House counsel Donald McGahn to have Mr Mueller removed and, later, orders from Mr Trump to Mr McGahn to deny that happened.

Democrats also will focus questioning on a series of meetings Mr Trump had with former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski in which the president directed Mr Lewandowski to persuade then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to limit Mr Mueller's investigation.

But Doug Collins, the top Republican on the committee, argued that "any thought of impeachment is waning" and that the American public has moved on.

He added that Republicans will be focused in their questioning on making clear that the Mueller report represents a "final episode" in the Russia probe, which he described as flawed.

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Mr Mueller himself has said he does not intend to speak beyond the findings of the report in the new congressional hearings.

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