The Mueller Testimony Will Be Useless, So Watch Some Republicans Yell At Him

Robert Mueller is testifying before Congress today, and very much doing the “I would refer you to my report” act at every juncture (his other big go-to line is “it’s outside my purview”), which means we’re not going to leave today knowing anything we don’t already know. Which further means that all the sound and fury will once again signify nothing. At this point, it’s become clear that Russia definitely interfered with the election, we’ll never know definitively if Trump colluded with Russia, and he probably obstructed justice but nobody will do anything about it because the Republicans don’t actually care and the important Democrats are cowards and Mueller says he can’t. I’m not even being glib—that’s all you need to know about the years and years of this drama. And none of it is going to change today. Watch Mueller tell you himself:

Mueller summarizes key takeaways from his investigation in opening statement — Russians engaged in “sweeping & systematic” election interference but he didn’t establish that Trump campaign conspired with them. And Trump couldn’t be charged with obstruction because of DOJ policy. pic.twitter.com/dvGL67q6Am

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 24, 2019

So if you’re after useless bits of Pelosi-doing-the-sarcastic-clap style theater from Democrats like this:

COHEN: Is the attorney general supposed to be the attorney general of the United States or the consigliere for the president?

MUELLER: Of the United States of America pic.twitter.com/zzdSJeXY53

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 24, 2019

You may find value in this testimony. Otherwise, you will not. And in the absence of anything substantive breaking from this testimony—which, again, it won’t—we might as well just marvel at the giant set of…guts…among Republicans, who are using this opportunity to double down and yell at Mueller for having the audacity to question Dear Leader.

First, here’s Doug Collins (R-GA) yelling at Mueller about Trump’s innocence in an opening statement:

The president’s defense attorn— I mean ranking member @RepDougCollins is making his opening statement pic.twitter.com/ooYO3d7FBa

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 24, 2019

More Collins yelling:

Collins seems to be trying to discredit Mueller by asking him gotcha questions about his own report pic.twitter.com/jpfkD7QO7X

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 24, 2019

Here’s John Ratclifee (R-TX) giving Mueller absolutely no time to answer as he yells at him for leaving open the idea that Trump have been guilty of collusion and/or obstruction, and not loudly proclaiming his innocence:

.@RepRatcliffe criticizes Mueller for the distinction he’s making between “exoneration” and not charging someone with a crime as part of his broader case that Trump was treated unfairly pic.twitter.com/KYTj8VR5hR

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 24, 2019

Here’s James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) yelling at him about not saying whether Trump’s conduct was “impeachable,” which is something that, you guessed it, only Congress can determine, since special counsels can’t impeach anyone:

Mueller is befuddled as Rep Sensenbrenner asks him about … [checks notes] … impeachable conduct, which is the business of Congress and not the special counsel’s office pic.twitter.com/uRPF7b0c6g

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 24, 2019

This is some good yelling by Louie Gohmert (R-TX), who accuses Mueller and his team of hating Trump:

Holy crap — by the end of his questioning Gohmert’s face was beet red, he was yelling, and it looked like his head was about to explode pic.twitter.com/3AXt1D5sEZ

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 24, 2019

(Gohmert further distinguished himself by referencing, and submitting for the record, an anti-Mueller tract he himself wrote for Sean Hannity’s website.)

Here’s Jim Jordan (R-OH) yelling about why Joseph Mifsud didn’t get arrested, with Mueller repeatedly saying “I can’t get into it.”

.@Jim_Jordan‘s line of questioning is all about why the special counsel elected not to charge Joseph Mifsud pic.twitter.com/5pwp8jt47J

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 24, 2019

There will be more to come, surely, but you get the point. We are merely spinning our wheels in the Mueller ruts at this point, and if you expect anything more, you will be disappointed.

(Thanks to Vox’s Aaron Rupar for gifting us these easily digestible Twitter videos.)