Reaction differed so starkly it almost seemed as if Republicans and Democrats watched different hearings

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Political reaction to Robert Mueller’s testimony to Congress reinforced established party positions, differing so starkly that it almost appeared each side had been watching different hearings.

2020 Democrats renew calls for impeachment after Mueller testimony Read more

Democratic 2020 candidates and members of Congress highlighted Mueller’s testimony that his investigation into Russian election interference did not exonerate Donald Trump, and reinvigorated calls for impeachment proceedings to begin, while Republicans almost unanimously took a different approach – focusing on discrediting Mueller and his investigation, and defending Trump against allegations of obstruction of justice.

Throughout the almost seven hours of testimony on Wednesday, Trump kept up a steady drumbeat of tweets, retweeting the supportive messages of his political allies in Congress and conservative media.

“I would like to thank the Democrats for holding this morning’s hearing. Now, after 3 hours, Robert Mueller has to subject himself to #ShiftySchiff – an Embarrassment to our Country!”, Trump tweeted as Mueller entered his fourth hour of testimony, using a nickname for Adam Schiff, the Democratic California congressman and chair of the House intelligence committee.

﻿Trump retweeted a statement from his personal lawyer, Jay Sekulow, which read: “This morning’s testimony exposed the troubling deficiencies of the Special Counsel’s investigation. The testimony revealed that this probe was conducted by a small group of politically-biased prosecutors …

“ … who, as hard as they tried, were unable to establish either obstruction, conspiracy, or collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. It is also clear that the Special Counsel conducted his two-year investigation unimpeded.”

Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale wrote: “This entire spectacle has always been about the Democrats trying to undo the legitimate result of the 2016 election and today they again failed miserably.”

The RNC chair, Ronna McDaniel, said: “Today’s hearings were a disaster for Democrats.”

The Republican North Carolina congressman Mark Meadows also accused Mueller of “struggling to answer even basic questions”.

He wrote on Twitter: “He can’t accurately remember facts, evidence, or even his own conclusion.”

Several Republicans brought up the dossier compiled by the former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele detailing allegations of Trump’s ties to Moscow.

They also questioned the role of Fusion GPS, the opposition research firm that employed Steele for his work. Mueller said he was unfamiliar with the company and declined to address matters related to the dossier.

On Fox News, the host Chris Wallace described the hearings as “a disaster for the reputation of Robert Mueller. It raises questions as to the degree to which he was actually in charge and control of this report.”

Senator Lindsey Graham, a key Trump ally in Congress, tweeted: “Wow. Robert Mueller changing the job of a prosecutor from proving someone ‘Guilty beyond a reasonable doubt’ to ‘Not being able to exonerate someone accused of a crime.’ Dangerous and ridiculous.”

At the twin hearings, many Republicans appeared to be reading from a script supplied by the Fox News host Sean Hannity during his Tuesday night broadcast who had spent nearly 15 minutes providing questions he would want to ask Mueller, given the chance.

At least 18 questions posed by Republican lawmakers overlapped with those featured on Hannity’s show, the Daily Beast reported. They included Texas congressman Louie Gohmert who pressed Mueller on his friendship with the fired FBI director James Comey.

“Did [Trump] mention the firing of James Comey? Did he mention the firing of James Comey in your discussion with him?” Gohmert asked in an echo of the Fox host.

﻿Before Mueller’s testimony ended, Hannity posted his own summation of the hearings, calling it a “Day of Disappointments” for congressional democracy.