Democrats want former special counsel Robert Mueller’s entire testimony to be in front of the cameras. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Legal Mueller could face 2 subpoenas to testify before Congress The House Intelligence and Judiciary committees are both eyeing subpoenas to the former special counsel.

The House Intelligence and Judiciary committees are “linking arms” on whether to issue a subpoena to former special counsel Robert Mueller, Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said Tuesday.

“We need to resolve this this week. I hope we will. One way or another, he needs to come in and testify. Time is running out,” Schiff (D-Calif.) told reporters. “We want him to come in before the August recess.”


Schiff said he intends to decide this week whether to issue a subpoena to Mueller for his testimony, reiterating a comment he made over the weekend. He added that “we are linking arms in our request” with Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), whose panel has also been in talks with Mueller about testifying on Capitol Hill.

Schiff said a decision to subpoena Mueller would likely result in two separate subpoenas — one from his committee and one from Nadler’s. He suggested that Mueller might prefer to be subpoenaed as a procedural matter before deciding whether to testify.

“One way or the another, we expect him to testify,” Schiff said.

At a rare news conference last month, Mueller said he preferred not to testify. He said his 448-page report “is my testimony,” adding that any appearance before Congress wouldn’t go beyond what’s contained in his report.

Nadler said Mueller has expressed a willingness to answer lawmakers’ questions behind closed doors, but Democrats want Mueller’s entire testimony to be in front of the cameras.

House Democrats have been eager to get the damning findings of President Donald Trump’s alleged obstruction of justice before the public and have so far struggled to do so in their hearings.

Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, ripped Democrats for their wrangling over a Mueller subpoena.

"It's telling that today, as the Democrat majority are struggling even to pass a bill to send humanitarian aid to the border, they're fumbling internally in attempts to relitigate a closed investigation that found no Americans conspired with Russia," Collins said.

Both committees are conducting rigorous oversight of Mueller’s investigation, which centered on Russian interference in the 2016 election and Trump’s attempts to obstruct the probe.

The Intelligence Committee is examining volume one of the report, which includes sensitive counterintelligence information about the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russia; the Judiciary Committee is reviewing a dozen potential instances of obstruction of justice, which were outlined in volume two.

Mueller concluded he did not have enough evidence to establish a conspiracy between Trump associates and Russian operatives, but he declined to reach a formal conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice, citing Justice Department guidelines which prohibit the indictment of a sitting president.

