Over the weekend, Graham said he would grant the Democrats’ prior request for Mueller to appear before the committee as part of his Republican-led review of the origins of Russia’s investigation. Graham’s statement came after Mueller wrote a Washington Post opinion piece defending his nearly two-year investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and the prosecution of his office by Trump confidant Roger Stone.
Graham went on to preview his planned interrogation line for Mueller, although it is unclear whether such a hearing will actually take place. A committee spokesman did not respond to requests for comment on the panel’s plans. It is also not certain that Mueller is willing to testify; He was reluctant to appear before the two House committees last year, and agreed to speak only after receiving a subpoena.
“From the first time he testified until now, a lot has changed,” Graham said, noting that a report by the Justice Department inspector general criticized the FBI for its handling of an order request for Carter Page, a former campaign aide. Trump.
The day before Mueller wrote his op-ed, Trump had commuted Stone’s next 40-month sentence. Mueller noted that the former Trump campaign adviser was convicted of seven charges, including false statements, obstruction of an investigation, and witness tampering. “He remains a convicted criminal, and with good reason,” Mueller wrote.
In short, I had no intention of calling Mr. Mueller. He testified before the house. It wasn’t pretty to see. But at the end of the day, Trey decided to intervene in the Roger Stone case, “added Graham.
Graham was once a strong advocate for Mueller and his investigation even proposed legislation to protect him from a possible Trump firing. But he has since triggered the investigation, citing new revelations that he says question the probe’s genesis. He told Gowdy that the Mueller investigation was “probably one of the most corrupt investigations since J. Edgar Hoover at the FBI.”
“I am hell-bent on making sure someone investigates investigators,” Graham said. “The time has come for us to look at the other side of history. Stay tuned. There will be many things that will come out. ”
Trump has always urged his Republican allies to be more aggressive in attacking his political enemies; Last week, he made a change to Graham’s committee for not doing enough.
Graham said he plans to ask the intelligence community to declassify a 40-page memo about an interview between the FBI and one of the main sources where Christopher Steele, a former British spy whose anti-Trump dossier in 2016 helped fuel the Russia’s FBI Investigation.
But the revelation in 2017 that Steele was carrying out his work on behalf of the Democrats and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, and that some of his most salacious charges were of weak or unverified origin, led to an uproar among allies. Trump.
Graham noted that an inspector general’s report cited the 40-page memo as a crucial weakness in the FBI investigation.
“My staff finally has to see it. It’s classified. I’m going to try not to classify it, “Graham said, adding that he intends to see if top FBI officials were informed of the source of the interview and the fact that it undermines the premise of his investigation.
