Neil Kotchel just summed up Muellers testimony amazingly

[LEW]

He said that the applicable rules at the time of the investigation ruled what he could do,period. But, that after Barr probably ended the Muellers time and said that he had to finish the report...then we saw what Barr did,......but Neal just said that when Barr spoke and put his opinion on the report, that that opened the door for Mueller to now allow to openly counterdict what Barr put forward as fact....Wednesday may be better than currently expected?????

[spanone]

1. Smart fellow that Neal Katyal is.

Neal Kumar Katyal is an American lawyer and partner at Hogan Lovells, as well as Paul and Patricia Saunders Professor of National Security Law at Georgetown University Law Center. Katyal served as Acting Solicitor General of the United States from May 2010 until June 2011. Wikipedia

Born: March 12, 1970 (age 49 years), Chicago, IL

Nationality: American

Full name: Neal Kumar Katyal

Spouse: Joanna Rosen (m. 2001)

Education: Yale Law School (1995), Dartmouth College (1991), Loyola Academy, Wilmette

[PRETZEL]

2. Barr may have opened the door as Neil Katyal says

but will Mueller walk through it,

that is what everyone is asking about next week.

[Karadeniz]

3. Hope so!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. Katyal?

[lillypaddle]

21. Yes, and it's Neal nt

[Girard442]

5. I'd love to see Mueller tear Trump a new one in his testimony...

...but history does not make me feel like putting money down on that.

[uponit7771]

8. +1, if America's election system is under attack I'd think a Marine would go as close to full Rambo

... as legal and acceptable.

If not, then things aren't that bad ... if they ARE that bad and Mueller says ... RELATIVELY ... nothing then he's done the country a disservice.

[FiveGoodMen]

14. On the twelfth day of Fitzmas ...

[saidsimplesimon]

25. Same here,

I hope our Democratic representatives will stick with questions that are worthy of a legal inquiry. Make all citizens proud of our Democratic, elected Representatives, regardless of party.

[qazplm135]

6. Nooooo

Mueller is going to do nothing but repeat what he's said.

[old guy]

22. Yup.

[watoos]

29. Then it will be Democrats fault

For asking bad questions. How prepared Dems are is the key to this hearing, Mueller will answer truthfully.

[stopdiggin]

7. I see this scenario as extremely optimistic

Mueller could chose to be helpful (particularly by pointing to other sources and possible methods for attaining info), but all indications to this point indicate that he still considers himself bound by the same rules (and ethics?) that applied when he was conducting the investigation. In other words, I doubt doors opened up as a result of Barr's actions .. and his stated intent is to basically parrot the (acceptable) findings in the report.

[asiliveandbreathe]

9. Robert Muellers statement - last paragraph...

And I will close by reiterating the central allegation of our indictments: That there were multiple, systematic efforts to interfere in our election, and that allegation deserves the attention of every American.

http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/05/robert-muellers-statement-full-speech-transcript.html

[dem4decades]

10. Neal is smart. Comey is smart. Others are smart. Is there someone

Else smart that is overseeing and orchestrating the questioning of Mueller or is each Congressman developing the own line of questions?

[oregonjen]

12. According to Jerry Nadler last night on Chris Hayes

Nadler confirmed that they are working together in forming questions in a calculated way to get the most info out of Mueller. He said that with a slight smile, which was encouraging to see.

[mopinko]

18. i just hope

that if he evades a question, the next person asks the same damn question.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

23. I have no doubt that this will be carefully orchestrated.

These are the Judiciary and Intelligence committees, which are staffed, at least on the Dem side, with a lot of smart people, including former prosecutors.

The Intelligence Committee (Dems):

Adam Schiff, Chairman
Jim Himes
Terri Sewell
Andre Carson
Jackie Speier
Mike Quigley
Eric Swalwell
Joaquin Castro
Denny Heck
Peter Welch
Sean Patrick Maloney
Val Demings
Raja Krishnamoorthi

The Judiciary Committee (Dems):

Jerrold Nadler, Chairman
Zoe Lofgren
Steve Cohen
Hank Johnson
Ted Deutch
Karen Bass
Cedric Richmond
Hakeem Jeffries
David Cicilline
Eric Swalwell
Ted Lieu
Jamie Raskin
Pramila Jayapal
Val Demings
Lou Correa
Mary Gay Scanlon
Sylvia Garcia
Joe Neguse
Lucy McBath
Greg Stanton
Madeleine Dean
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell
Veronica Escobar

[JI7]

26. no, Comey isn't that smart

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

27. Comey is very smart. His problem wasn't a lack of brains, but

excessive confidence in his own judgment.

[stopdiggin]

35. Comey THOUGHT he was protecting the integrity of the system

with the unexpected result that he SANK the integrity of system .. and a multitude of good people along with it. Let's have a big round of applause for Jim Comey.

[UTUSN]

11. He also listed the *ONLY* three questions needed to be asked of MUELLER:

Yesterday, with Ari and then with Brian WILLIAMS, they asked him what three questions he would have for MUELLER next week. He said that, since SHITLER has bruited it about that MULLER found NO collusion, NO obstruction, and completely EXONERATED him, the only questions needed are:

1- Did you find collusion?
2- Did you find obstruction?
3- Did you exonerate him?

They went on to say that the answers are in the report, but having MUELLER say it (Yes. Yes. No.) would nail it down.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212294203

[MontanaMama]

15. Amen

Keep it simple for the folks who haven't been paying attention.

[SouthernIrish]

13. I think that Mueller will answer honestly

Nadler said that the committee was having meetings on what would be asked and by whom. I think that it all comes down to what is asked by them. I look for Mueller to get some vindication for he and his team being called Witch Hunters, crooked, etc.

[Firestorm49]

16. One can only hope.

I prefer to be optimistic, but I doubt anything of consequence will be revealed at the hearing.

Rome continues to burn.

[NBachers]

17. I don't know how much air I can pump back into my deflated Muller hope-balloon. But I'll be watching

[LEW]

19. keep pumping!!!

I have to, so you should have to......ha ha ha ha

[Pepsidog]

20. I will believe it when I hear it.

[jalan48]

24. We keep hoping Mueller will save us. I don't see it happening.

[Snackshack]

28. I sincerely hope

That Mr. Mueller will decide to step out of the non partisan lawyer corner he has put himself in and answer the questions as an former Marine and American. The country is literally having its foundation chipped away from under it and it needs all the support it can get right now.

[LiberalLovinLug]

30. I doubt much will come of it. Mueller is proven to be a "good" Republican foot soidier

Who made sure to minimize any wrongdoing. Refused to look into Trumps children. And sat on his hands for a month AFTER Barr was misrepresenting his report to the American people.

Many Republicans are Never Trumpers, but ALL of them are party first before country, including Mueller.

[Cosmocat]

36. Yep

nm

[richsonpoordad]

31. i don't think Mueller will save the Union. He had that chance.

I am just skeptical. He and Barr are too close. How a person of Mueller's supposed integrity could be close friends to someone like Barr is beyond me.

[Novice Patriot]

33. What does Mueller fear?

His entire career is evidence of his fairness, conviction to serving the country, his devotion to the law and fair enforcement of those laws. He has shown an abundance of courage. I have heard no other person speak of Mr. Mueller without respect other than Trump himself.
So why does Mueller end a report where he shows beyond a reasonable doubt that multiple crimes were committed with “if he were innocent, then we would have said so” why speak in such coded language? Why be so uncomfortable about testifying to congress when it was once a regular occurrence for his job as FBI director?
Has he been threatened by someone? His family? Is he afraid to expose the beast out of fear of the retaliation to many innocent people?
To many of us he has proven to be Herculean, but something has him backing away from this. What could it be?

[90-percent]

32. The smart thing to to

The smart thing to do is get AL FRANKEN to come up with concise, intelligent, well informed, dignified and witty input by meeting in person with as many Dems as possible anywhere any time any place. By any means possible.

Sessions had to recuse himself from the Russian Investigation because franken's questioning made Sessions admit he lied about not meeting with Russians before the election. Where would we be if Sessions had stayed?

Al recently wrote a wonderful eye opening editorial, applying the history of our country and how we ar repeating it today.

Brains and a Nobel Prize winning humorist.

Al as consultant is pie in the sky. I do think his visibility on the national scene will rise over time. Considering the magnitude of his sexual harassment, his fate was comparable to curing dandruff by decapitation.

-90% Jimmy

[Hamlette]

34. I hope Dem questioners were watching Nicole Wallace today. nt

[Marcuse]

37. Neal is saying that Barr orally rescinded the DOJ 1973 "Do Not Indict" policy.

Barr will disagree.