Bulletin: A New Original
From RealClearInvestigations
New Article by Paul Sperry in RealClearInvestigations
Publishing Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019 Robert Mueller may have lied to Congress about his puzzling May 29 press conference -- supposedly valedictory remarks that may actually have been a veiled effort at damage control to protect what a federal judge called his misleading prosecution of Russians, Paul Sperry reports for RealClearInvestigations. The press conference - which left reporters scratching their heads because it seemed to make no news - was apparently meant to mollify the judge, who the day before had threatened to hold the special counsel's team in contempt of court for its statements about Russian government interference in the 2016 election. Sperry reports: - Under oath before a congressional panel July 24, Mueller denied the judge's action had anything to do with his holding the press conference, and this is where Republicans believe Mueller perjured himself.
- In a closed hearing on May 28, U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich said that Mueller had overstated evidence against two Russian internet "trolling" firms - a key part of the narrative the Kremlin interfered in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win.
- Specifically, the judge took Mueller to task for implying that the troll farms were controlled by the Russian government; she said that could jeopardize the defendants' right to a fair trial.
- In his press conference the next day, Mueller took pains to note that "a private Russian entity engaged in a social media operation" and that "these indictments contain allegations, and we are not commenting on the guilt or innocence of any specific defendant."
- Satisfied with Mueller's press conference, Friedrich wrote in a recently unsealed opinion that he had "demonstrated" the government had complied with her order to set the record straight.
- But under questioning last month by Rep. Tom McClintock, Mueller in House testimony specifically denied any connection between the May 28 ruling and the press conference the next day.
Although Mueller may have perjured himself in that testimony, Republicans say it is unlikely the Democrat head of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, will look into the matter or refer it for prosecution. This and all other original articles created by RealClearInvestigations may be republished for free with attribution. (These terms do not apply to outside articles linked on the site.) We provide our stories for free but they are expensive to produce. Help us continue to publish distinctive journalism by making a contribution today to RealClearInvestigations. Support RealClearInvestigations → |
