Former special counsel Robert Mueller told lawmakers at the start of back-to-back hearings Wednesday that the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the U.S. presidential election are among the most serious challenges to American democracy he has seen.
Additionally, what we do know is that President Donald Trump was not involved.
Democrats hope Mueller’s testimony will weaken Trump’s reelection prospects in ways that his 448-page report did not.
Republicans immediately defended Trump and criticized the Democrats for continuing to go after him.
Mueller declared at the outset that he would be limited in what he would say.
Known for his quiet nature, he has warned that he will not stray beyond what’s already been revealed in his report. And the Justice Department has instructed Mueller to stay strictly within those parameters, giving him a formal directive to point to if he faces questions he does not want to answer.
Trump lashed out early Wednesday ahead of the hearing, saying on Twitter that “Democrats and others” are trying to fabricate a crime and pin it on “a very innocent President.”
“Why didn’t Robert Mueller investigate the investigators?” Trump said in his tweet.
You can watch a livestream video of Mueller’s testimony below:
The Associated Press contributed to this article