Mueller testimony on Russia meddling investigation postponed

Committee chairmen Jerry Nadler and Adam Schiff say planned sessions will take place on July 24

WASHINGTON: Special Counsel Robert Mueller's appearance in Congress next week to testify on the Russia election meddling investigation and allegations of obstruction by President Donald Trump has been postponed, the House Judiciary Committee announced on Friday.

Mueller was originally scheduled to appear before the committee on July 17.

Committee chairmen Jerry Nadler and Adam Schiff released a statement saying the planned sessions would take place on July 24 for an "extended period of time."

American media had reported earlier on Wednesday that some committee members viewed the originally planned sessions as too short.

Completed in March after a more than two-year investigation into Russian election meddling in the 2016 presidential election, the Mueller report documents numerous instances of attempted collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia, but found no grounds for criminal conspiracy charges.



The report also listed ten occasions when Trump allegedly attempted to obstruct the investigation.

But Mueller refrained from recommending criminal charges against the president, saying he had no power to do so.

That led to Trump declaring that he had been fully cleared by the probe, while Democrats in Congress began calling for more investigations and impeachment, saying the report was evidence of criminal wrongdoing.

On May 29, in his only public comment since completing the report, Mueller said he had not exonerated Trump of obstruction of justice, but said Justice Department policy prevented him from charging the president.

On Friday, Democratic Congressman Jerry Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said the committee is considering issuing articles of impeachment against Trump, but that "no final determination has been made."