A Department of Justice letter telling former special counsel Robert Mueller to stick to public findings during his congressional hearings won't change anything, Rep. Jim Himes said Tuesday, as "the letter is not rooted in any law."
"The letter is not rooted in any law, it's not rooted in anything," the Connecticut Democrat, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN's "New Day." "Mueller can say anything he wants, other than disclosing classified information. I don't think the letter means a lot. What means a lot is Mueller is a guy that says what he means and means what he says. He says he's staying in the four corners of the report."
Further, Mueller is a former FBI director, but he is no longer a Department of Justice employee and does not have to comply with the letter, said Himes.
The House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees, which will question Mueller on Wednesday, do have the challenges of giving questions to bring his report to life, said Himes, and Mueller is "historically" a "man of few words."
The DOJ letter also reflects the White House's methods of "making up privileges out of whole cloth," said Himes.
"Congress doesn't need to recognize any privileges other than the Fifth Amendment constitutional privilege, so the letter is meaningless," he added.
Mueller does have questions to answer, said Himes, including why he chose not to interview President Donald Trump.
The report, meanwhile, shows that Trump's campaign welcomed Russia's help in the election, Himes said, and even if it didn't rise to the level of a criminal conspiracy, "the American people need to understand that if for no other reason to make sure it doesn't happen again," said Himes.
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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