Under U.S. House questioning, Mueller sometimes stumbles in early going

Under rapid-fire questioning from lawmakers, former U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller, 74, occasionally struggled to keep up on Wednesday in the beginning of his much-awaited, back-to-back congressional committee hearings.

Two hours into the first hearing focused on possible obstruction of justice by President Donald Trump, Mueller appeared to become more settled and confident. But on several occasions, he had to ask lawmakers to repeat their frequently convoluted questions. Republican members of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee took a confrontational tone in many questions and Mueller at times responded in a halting and wavering voice.

Each committee member had only five minutes with Mueller, often leading to rushed questions. Mueller, in turn, kept his answers short and repeatedly referred questioners to his 448-page report summarizing his 22-month investigation of Trump and Russian meddling to aid him in the 2016 U.S. election. "Where are you reading from?" Mueller asked at one point during the question-and-answer session.

"I am reading from my question" Republican Representative James Sensenbrenner said. In a packed House of Representatives hearing room, Mueller, a former director of the FBI, displayed little emotion. But, when asked if he was no longer special counsel, a smile crossed his face.

When Democratic Representative Zoe Lofgren tried to get him to confirm that there were 126 contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia, Mueller responded: "I can't say. I understand the statistic. And believe it." When Lofgren asked who the Russian government preferred to win the U.S. presidency, Mueller responded: "Well, it would be Trump - Trump."

For years, Democrats and Republicans have praised Mueller but Trump and some of his subordinates have attacked him, claiming he was conducting a "witch hunt." Democrats who control the House and the committee were hoping Mueller's testimony would help the American public understand that his investigation never cleared Trump of possible obstruction of justice, despite Trump's insistence it did.

At the start of the hearing committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler got Mueller to underscore that point. Asked whether Mueller's report totally exonerated Trump, Mueller said, "No." Mueller also made clear that Trump refused to be interviewed by his investigators.

Also Read: Democrats questioning Robert Mueller to focus on obstruction