Herrera Beutler responds to Mueller hearings

Former special counsel Robert Mueller testified before Congress on Wednesday to clarify the conclusions of his 448-page report, which detailed Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and the Trump campaign’s potential involvement.

I checked in with our congresswoman, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, to hear her thoughts after the hearings.

In an email, the Battle Ground Republican responded:

“After hours before two committees, Mr. Mueller didn’t reveal much today that we didn’t already know from his exhaustive report into Russia’s interference with our elections — that neither the president nor anyone else with his campaign conspired with Russia to influence the outcome. Let’s move on and work on solutions that benefit the people of Southwest Washington.”

In hearings before the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees, Mueller frustrated members of both parties seeking flashy soundbites with his terse, one-word answers, and with his refusal to go beyond the conclusions of his report. He did not give Republicans any new ammunition they could use to paint his report as biased, nor did he offer Democrats any catchy moments they could use to frame the national conversation.

That said, Herrera Beutler’s characterization of the report’s findings, “that neither the president nor anyone else with his campaign conspired with Russia to influence the outcome,” only addresses half of the investigation into President Donald Trump’s conduct. The report found insufficient evidence to make a determination as to whether the president and his staff had engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Russia. However, Mueller clarified that Trump could be charged with obstruction of justice after leaving office for the president’s attempts to impede the investigation.