The Mueller Investigation

Were Robert S. Mueller III ever to tell the inside story of his investigation, much of America would most likely come to a standstill to hear what he had to say. There is virtually no chance that will happen when he testifies for about five hours before two congressional committees this week. It took weeks of negotiations just to persuade him to show up. He has already said that his testimony won’t go beyond what is in the 448-page report he delivered, and he urged people to read it.

But even members of Congress admit that they have only skimmed it. And even if all Mr. Mueller does is quote from his report, his words will be carefully analyzed, from the points he chooses to highlight to the inflections of his voice. Before the hearings, we pose some of the many lingering questions about his two-year investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and whether President Trump obstructed justice by trying to interfere with it, along with what we know or not about the answers.