Chuck Ross on June 11, 2019
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler said Tuesday he expects former special counsel Robert Mueller to appear before Congress “way before” the end of summer.
He reiterated his pledge to subpoena Mueller if necessary to force him to testify in an interview on MSNBC.
“Has Robert Mueller agreed to come in voluntarily? Is there a date by which if he does not, you would subpoena him?” MSNBC host Ari Melber asked Nadler, a New York Democrat.
“We’re carrying on conversations with him, and he will come in, and if we have to subpoena him, we will,” Nadler said.
“Would that be by the end of the summer?” asked Melber.
“I would think it would be way before that,” said Nadler.
When asked whether he believes negotiations with Mueller will be over by the end of June, Nadler declined comment but said he was unsure.
Mueller has resisted requests from Congress to testify about his investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian government. He issued a brief statement May 29 saying he had no plans to speak to lawmakers.
Democrats and Republicans have called for Mueller to testify in public about his investigation, which found no evidence of a conspiracy between the Trump team and Russian government. Mueller was more ambiguous on the issue of whether President Donald Trump attempted to obstruct his investigation.
In addition to pushing for Mueller’s testimony, Nadler has also battled with the Justice Department over some of the information redacted in the 448-page Mueller report that was provided to Congress and the public. Nadler struck a deal with the Justice Department on Monday, just before Democrats planned to vote on whether to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress.
