House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff Adam Bennett SchiffPelosi, Democrats unveil bills to rein in alleged White House abuses of power Chris Matthews ripped for complimenting Trump's 'true presidential behavior' on Ginsburg Trump casts doubt on Ginsburg statement, wonders if it was written by Schiff, Pelosi or Schumer MORE (D-Calif.) said Wednesday that lawmakers “look forward” to Robert Mueller Robert (Bob) MuellerCNN's Toobin warns McCabe is in 'perilous condition' with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting The Hill's 12:30 Report: New Hampshire fallout MORE’s testimony, despite the special counsel’s stated reluctance to testify on Capitol Hill.

"We look forward to Mueller's testimony before Congress. While I understand his reluctance to answer hypotheticals or deviate from the carefully worded conclusions he drew on his charging decisions, there are, nevertheless, a great many questions he can answer that go beyond the report, including any counterintelligence issues and classified matters that were not addressed in his findings," Schiff said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, Mueller made his first public remarks since beginning his now-completed investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. He reiterated some of the findings from his 448-page report and explained in further detail why he did not reach a decision on whether President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE obstructed justice.

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Mueller also made clear that he does not want to testify before Congress — something Democrats have demanded — and that he expects his public remarks on Wednesday to be his last regarding the 22-month investigation.

“I hope and expect this to be the only time that I will speak about this matter. I am making that decision myself — no one has told me whether I can or should testify or speak further about this matter,” Mueller said. “The report is my testimony.”

Schiff’s panel, along with the House Judiciary Committee, has sought Mueller’s testimony as Democratic lawmakers pursue their own investigations into Trump and his administration.

If Mueller resists congressional testimony, Democrats could subpoena him — an option House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler Jerrold (Jerry) Lewis NadlerDemocrats shoot down talk of expanding Supreme Court Schumer: 'Nothing is off the table' if GOP moves forward with Ginsburg replacement Top Democrats call for DOJ watchdog to probe Barr over possible 2020 election influence MORE (D-N.Y.) has said is on the table.

But Nadler sidestepped questions about that possibility during a news conference Wednesday, saying, “Mr. Mueller told us a lot of what we need to hear today.”

The Judiciary panel has sought public testimony from Mueller. However, he would likely testify before the Intelligence panel behind closed doors, as lawmakers are likely to question him about sensitive details of his investigation and contacts between the Trump campaign and Moscow.

Schiff on Wednesday also said Mueller issued a “direct rebuke” of Attorney General William Barr Bill BarrHarris faces pivotal moment with Supreme Court battle Hillicon Valley: DOJ proposes tech liability shield reform to Congress | Treasury sanctions individuals, groups tied to Russian malign influence activities | House Republican introduces bill to set standards for self-driving cars McCarthy threatens motion to oust Pelosi if she moves forward with impeachment MORE by stating that he was unable to consider whether to charge Trump with criminal obstruction because Justice Department policy prohibits prosecutors from indicting a sitting president.

“After that investigation, if we had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said that,” Mueller said in his remarks, without noting whether he would have charged Trump with a crime were it not for the policy.

Mueller also said the Constitution “requires a process other than the criminal justice system to formally accuse a sitting President of wrongdoing.”

Barr has previously said Mueller did not fail to reach a decision on obstruction solely because of the the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) opinion. Some Democrats and Trump critics have said Mueller's statement Wednesday undercut Barr's earlier pronouncements.

However, in a joint statement Wednesday evening, spokespeople for both the Justice Department and Mueller's office said there was "no conflict" between the two officials' statements.

“The Attorney General has previously stated that the Special Counsel repeatedly affirmed that he was not saying that, but for the OLC opinion, he would have found the President obstructed justice," said DOJ spokeswoman Kerri Kupec and special counsel spokesman Peter Carr.

"The Special Counsel’s report and his statement today made clear that the office concluded it would not reach a determination – one way or the other – about whether the President committed a crime. There is no conflict between these statements," they said.

The Russia report compiled by Mueller and his team examined nearly a dozen episodes in which Trump may have obstructed justice, but the special counsel’s office did not reach a conclusion on the matter. In a four-page memo laying out Mueller’s findings in March, Barr said that he and then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein Rod RosensteinDOJ kept investigators from completing probe of Trump ties to Russia: report Five takeaways from final Senate Intel Russia report FBI officials hid copies of Russia probe documents fearing Trump interference: book MORE judged the evidence to be insufficient to accuse Trump of a crime.

Trump and his allies have seized on Barr’s judgment as vindicating him of allegations of obstruction, even as Mueller’s report does not explicitly exonerate Trump.

“[Mueller] made clear that, because of the Department's own policy, it is left it to Congress—not the Attorney General—to evaluate and further investigate the president's misconduct,” Schiff said Wednesday.

Updated 7:26 p.m.