Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Tuesday he knows former special counsel Robert Mueller and respects him, but he does not expect any major breakthroughs to come as a result of his testimony to the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees.
"He's a consummate professional," Durbin told MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "He's not a political animal by nature. He's someone who took this job very seriously, and I'm sure will take [Wednesday]'s testimony very seriously."
Further, he said thinks Mueller will stick closely to his report as the script, but still the American people will be able to see "in the flesh" that President Donald Trump's claims there was no collusion or obstruction are not supported by that report.
"His report makes it clear that it was a guideline from the Department of Justice that stopped any recommendation for action to be taken against the president for his conduct," said Durbin.
Also on Tuesday, Durbin discussed a trip he and other Senate Democrats took over the weekend to the migrant detention center in McAllen, Texas, calling the conditions there "marginally improved but still unacceptable by basic American standards."
The senator also talked about the budget bill passed Monday, noting the growing national deficit is "certainly not OK," even if it is good the government will remain open.
"It is certainly preferable we extend the debt ceiling which is America's mortgage, acknowledging what we already spent, not what we'll spend in the future," Durbin said. "The last balanced budget that we have ever experienced here in Washington was under the Clinton administration, a Democratic president. I also want to add that that was followed by Bush tax cuts and now these tax cuts from the Trump administration."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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