3 Takeaways from the Mueller Hearings

Robert Mueller maintained a disciplined silence for his entire 22-month investigation of Russian meddling and Donald Trump.

When he finally answered questions in public, the result was a halting and deeply unsatisfying event for lawmakers and the American public that may end up diluting the weight of his thorough 448-page report -- and diminishing the reputation of the legendary lawman.

A Washington moment that could have triggered an impeachment or even toppled a president instead became a jockeying match for Democrats and Republicans, each trying -- without much success -- to provoke Mueller into saying something that would feed their political aims.

But rather than bring his sweeping investigation to life, as Democrats hoped, Mueller didn’t play the part he was cast. During more than five hours of public testimony, Mueller spoke softly, declined to read directly from his report and refused to elaborate in response to questions.

Mueller’s approach to the hearings contrasted starkly with the fast-paced, social-media savvy questions and posturing from lawmakers, at times creating awkward or boring moments.

The expectations Mueller was facing for this event may have simply been too high. Through his long silence, the former special counsel had become a mysterious and revered figure and, perhaps, the one person whose words could lead to Trump’s impeachment.

When he began speaking Wednesday morning, however, the 74-year-old Mueller appeared out of sorts and overwhelmed. There were the moments when he fumbled his words, had problems remembering what was in his report and was asked to speak directly into the microphone.

As the hearing proceeded, Mueller became more confident in his answers and at times challenged lawmakers to let him finish his answers. He also firmly defended his team of investigators from Republican claims of anti-Trump bias.

While Mueller appeared distinctly uncomfortable discussing Trump’s alleged obstruction of justice before the House Judiciary Committee in the morning, he appeared more comfortable in the House Intelligence Committee’s afternoon hearing, which focused on Russian interference in the election.

Several weeks before the hearings, Mueller made it clear that he wouldn’t discuss anything outside his final report, although Democrats and Republicans both seemed to think they could somehow coax him to do it anyway.

Mueller reaffirmed that his investigation didn’t exonerate Trump when it comes to obstructing justice, adding that Trump could be indicted once he leaves office.

As the hearings went on, it became apparent that Mueller had no problem frustrating Democrats and Republicans alike, leaving them no choice but to read passages from his report and refusing to provide any fuel to right-wing conspiracy theories.

He sat stone-faced and silent for most of the morning in response to Republican attacks on the integrity of him, his team and his investigation.

Until a point.

In one of the most animated parts of the Judiciary hearing, Mueller offered a forceful push back against attacks that his team were politically biased against Trump.

“I’ve been in this business for almost 25 years,” Mueller said. “In those 25 years, I have not had occasion once to ask somebody about their political affiliation. It is not done.”

“What I care about is the capability of the individual to do the job, and do the job quickly and seriously and with integrity,” he said.

After more than five hours, Mueller ended his testimony, walking away from the television cameras and out of the spotlight. The public may never hear from Mueller again. And that may be exactly the way he wanted the movie to end.

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