Reports of feuding between Robert Mueller and Congress are greatly exaggerated
At least once a week, a major media outlet pushes the same old narrative: Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the various congressional committees are feuding about their respective roles in investigating the Trump-Russia scandal, they’re getting in each other’s way, and some big bad scary unspecified thing could be the result. But no matter how many times this narrative gets recycled, there’s still no evidence to back it up. So why do we keep hearing this?
If it were true that Mueller and Congress were stepping on each other’s feet, it would be an important story. And if you look at the available evidence in the wrong context, you might come away with the impression that they’re feuding. As Congress has asked the various Trump-Russia figures to testify, some of them have agreed under the stipulation that their testimony be in private, because they don’t want Mueller to see it. That sounds like a bad thing, until you look at what’s really going on, and you see a different story.
Mueller will bring these folks to come in and answer his questions when he’s ready for them. He’ll have a judge sign off on a subpoena compelling that testimony, meaning they won’t get a choice. So Mueller will have his way with these witnesses and suspects. In the meantime, there’s no harm to Congress bringing them in for testimony that Mueller won’t have access to. It’s better for that to happen, then for them to clam up and not testify before Congress at all. In addition, there are some tangential benefits in this process for Mueller.
We’ve already seen Mueller have the FBI raid Paul Manafort’s house just hours after his congressional testimony. Mueller must have found some way to get word of what Manafort said, because it was enough to inform him to make an immediate move. Then there’s the case of Michael Cohen, who violated his testimony agreement with Senate by blabbing to the media. As a result the Senate is now moving to compel him to testify publicly, meaning Mueller will get to watch it from home.
So why do so many news outlets keep pushing the narrative that Robert Mueller and Congress are feuding or sabotaging each other? The cynical answer would be that it makes for a juicy story and a great ratings opportunity. In all fairness, it would be an important story – if it were true. There just isn’t any evidence that it’s true.
