RESTRICTION SUMMARY: AP CLIENTS ONLY

SHOTLIST:

U.S. HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 19 April 2019

1. STILL IMAGES -  Various pages of House Judiciary Committee issued subpoena

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 19 April 2019

2. Wide of people reading newspaper headlines at Washington's Newseum

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"The report really paints a damning picture of the Trump presidency. It shows a president who was consumed by the Mueller investigation. Someone who tried to get his top advisers to lie or obfuscate on his behalf and who really was trying to interfere with the Mueller investigation and actually only was blocked by his own - by his own team who either refused to carry out some of his orders or simply just let them fall by the wayside."

4. Various newspaper headlines on Mueller's report

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"Ultimately Mueller did not find that, did not decide to go forward with criminal charges against Trump or some of the other figures that were around him at the early stages of his administration or during the campaign. But really when you,  when you put that aside there is a lot in here that really paints a troubling picture of this administration and it turns this into a political question now. That's for Democrats. Democrats have to decide if they want to continue to pursue these investigations, if they want to move forward with impeachment. There are really mixed feelings in the Democratic caucus about that but we now shift from a criminal question to a political question."

6. Medium of people reading displays of newspapers

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"Certainly the full report the unredacted report will provide us with, with some level of additional information. There are, there are pieces of this report where you can figure out what's probably behind the redactions but then there are some where we really don't know and Democrats and the public have probably or you know feel like they have a right to know what is behind those redactions."

8. Various newspaper headlines on Mueller's report

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"One of the reasons you're seeing the oversight committees move forward with trying to pursue the full report is they just want to keep the investigations going. It is very unlikely that we will learn something in the unredacted report that will fundamentally change either public opinion or understanding about what happened here. But these committees feel like it is their responsibility. They are the legislative branch. They are a check on the executive branch. They feel like it's their responsibility to push forward, take the next step, get the unredacted report. "

10. Various newspaper headlines on Mueller's report

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"There are definitely some loud voices in the Democratic caucus that want to move forward on impeachment but we've heard for from the start from Democratic leaders people like Nancy Pelosi that she sees a pretty high bar for, for impeachment hearings. She has said repeatedly that she feels like in order to move forward on impeachment, you have to not only have really solid evidence of an impeachable offense but you also have to be able to bring not just Democrats but also Republicans on board."

DONALD TRUMP VIA TWITTER @REALDONALDTRUMP - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Internet - 19 April 2019

++NOTE GRAPHIC LANGUAGE++

12. @realDonaldTrump Twitter page

13. Donald Trump tweet of a "Game of Thrones" type still image (English) "NO COLLUSION. NO OBSTRUCTION. FOR THE HATERS AND THE RADICAL LEFT DEMOCRATS -- GAME OVER"

14. Donald Trump tweet (English) "...agreed to testify, it was not necessary for me to respond to statements made in the "Report" about me, some of which are total bullshit & only given to make the other person look good (or me to look bad). This was an Illegally Started Hoax that never should have happened, a...

15. Donald Trump tweet (English) "Statements are made about me by certain people in the Crazy Mueller Report, in itself written by 18 Angry Democrat Trump Haters, which are fabricated & totally untrue. Watch out for people that take so-called "notes," when the notes never existed until needed. Because I never...."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 19 April 2019

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"The president goes back and forth on this Mueller Report. On the one hand, he wants to argue that the main takeaway was hey I did nothing wrong there was no no collusion, no criminal obstruction. On the other hand, he's keenly aware that the report does paint this really damning picture of his presidency. And so he wants to with all those details out there now he wants to really undermine them. He wants to point fingers at Mueller's team and say they don't have enough credibility to make judgments on me. And then also he wants to cast doubt on the many Trump advisers who talked to Bob Mueller and provided pretty stunning details. He believes based on his track record over the past two years that he, he can undermine the credibility of that report, certainly for his base and perhaps for, for other Americans as well."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 18 April 2019

17. STILL IMAGE - Pages from Mueller's redacted report

18. President Trump and Melania depart White House

STORYLINE:

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena Friday for special counsel's Robert Mueller's report as Congress escalates its investigation of President Donald Trump.

"It now falls to Congress to determine the full scope of that alleged misconduct and to decide what steps we must take going forward," said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y. He expects the Justice Department to comply by May 1.

While Mueller declined to prosecute Trump on obstruction of justice, he did not exonerate the president, all but leaving the question to Congress.

Associated Press Washington Bureau Chief Julia Pace says "Certainly the full report -- the unredacted report will provide us with -- with some level of additional information...there are pieces of this report where you can figure out what's probably behind the redactions but then there are some where we really don't know and Democrats and the public have probably or you know feel like they have a right to know what is behind those redactions."

Mueller's report provides fresh evidence of Trump's interference in the Russia investigation and challenges lawmakers to respond.

The risks for both parties are clear if they duck the responsibility or prolong an inquiry that, rather than coming to a close, may be just beginning.

"My committee needs and is entitled to the full version of the report and the underlying evidence consistent with past practice," Nadler said in a statement.

The materials are due the day Barr is scheduled to testify before a Senate committee and one day before Barr is set to appear before Nadler's committee.

Nadler also has summoned Mueller to testify.

Republicans are eager to move beyond what Trump calls the "witch hunt" that has overshadowed the party and the presidency.

While Democrats say Mueller's findings are far more serious than initially indicated in Barr's four-page summary last month, they've been hesitant to pursue the ultimate step, impeachment proceedings, despite pressure from the left flank of the party to begin efforts to try to remove the president from office.

Pace says "Democrats have to decide if they want to continue to pursue these investigations -- if they want to move forward with impeachment. There are really mixed feelings in the Democratic caucus about that but we now shift from a criminal question to a political question."

===========================================================

Clients are reminded:

(i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: info@aparchive.com

(ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service

(iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory.

RESTRICTION SUMMARY: AP CLIENTS ONLY

SHOTLIST:

U.S. HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 19 April 2019

1. STILL IMAGES -  Various pages of House Judiciary Committee issued subpoena

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 19 April 2019

2. Wide of people reading newspaper headlines at Washington's Newseum

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"The report really paints a damning picture of the Trump presidency. It shows a president who was consumed by the Mueller investigation. Someone who tried to get his top advisers to lie or obfuscate on his behalf and who really was trying to interfere with the Mueller investigation and actually only was blocked by his own - by his own team who either refused to carry out some of his orders or simply just let them fall by the wayside."

4. Various newspaper headlines on Mueller's report

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"Ultimately Mueller did not find that, did not decide to go forward with criminal charges against Trump or some of the other figures that were around him at the early stages of his administration or during the campaign. But really when you,  when you put that aside there is a lot in here that really paints a troubling picture of this administration and it turns this into a political question now. That's for Democrats. Democrats have to decide if they want to continue to pursue these investigations, if they want to move forward with impeachment. There are really mixed feelings in the Democratic caucus about that but we now shift from a criminal question to a political question."

6. Medium of people reading displays of newspapers

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"Certainly the full report the unredacted report will provide us with, with some level of additional information. There are, there are pieces of this report where you can figure out what's probably behind the redactions but then there are some where we really don't know and Democrats and the public have probably or you know feel like they have a right to know what is behind those redactions."

8. Various newspaper headlines on Mueller's report

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"One of the reasons you're seeing the oversight committees move forward with trying to pursue the full report is they just want to keep the investigations going. It is very unlikely that we will learn something in the unredacted report that will fundamentally change either public opinion or understanding about what happened here. But these committees feel like it is their responsibility. They are the legislative branch. They are a check on the executive branch. They feel like it's their responsibility to push forward, take the next step, get the unredacted report. "

10. Various newspaper headlines on Mueller's report

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"There are definitely some loud voices in the Democratic caucus that want to move forward on impeachment but we've heard for from the start from Democratic leaders people like Nancy Pelosi that she sees a pretty high bar for, for impeachment hearings. She has said repeatedly that she feels like in order to move forward on impeachment, you have to not only have really solid evidence of an impeachable offense but you also have to be able to bring not just Democrats but also Republicans on board."

DONALD TRUMP VIA TWITTER @REALDONALDTRUMP - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Internet - 19 April 2019

++NOTE GRAPHIC LANGUAGE++

12. @realDonaldTrump Twitter page

13. Donald Trump tweet of a "Game of Thrones" type still image (English) "NO COLLUSION. NO OBSTRUCTION. FOR THE HATERS AND THE RADICAL LEFT DEMOCRATS -- GAME OVER"

14. Donald Trump tweet (English) "...agreed to testify, it was not necessary for me to respond to statements made in the "Report" about me, some of which are total bullshit & only given to make the other person look good (or me to look bad). This was an Illegally Started Hoax that never should have happened, a...

15. Donald Trump tweet (English) "Statements are made about me by certain people in the Crazy Mueller Report, in itself written by 18 Angry Democrat Trump Haters, which are fabricated & totally untrue. Watch out for people that take so-called "notes," when the notes never existed until needed. Because I never...."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 19 April 2019

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"The president goes back and forth on this Mueller Report. On the one hand, he wants to argue that the main takeaway was hey I did nothing wrong there was no no collusion, no criminal obstruction. On the other hand, he's keenly aware that the report does paint this really damning picture of his presidency. And so he wants to with all those details out there now he wants to really undermine them. He wants to point fingers at Mueller's team and say they don't have enough credibility to make judgments on me. And then also he wants to cast doubt on the many Trump advisers who talked to Bob Mueller and provided pretty stunning details. He believes based on his track record over the past two years that he, he can undermine the credibility of that report, certainly for his base and perhaps for, for other Americans as well."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 18 April 2019

17. STILL IMAGE - Pages from Mueller's redacted report

18. President Trump and Melania depart White House

STORYLINE:

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena Friday for special counsel's Robert Mueller's report as Congress escalates its investigation of President Donald Trump.

"It now falls to Congress to determine the full scope of that alleged misconduct and to decide what steps we must take going forward," said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y. He expects the Justice Department to comply by May 1.

While Mueller declined to prosecute Trump on obstruction of justice, he did not exonerate the president, all but leaving the question to Congress.

Associated Press Washington Bureau Chief Julia Pace says "Certainly the full report -- the unredacted report will provide us with -- with some level of additional information...there are pieces of this report where you can figure out what's probably behind the redactions but then there are some where we really don't know and Democrats and the public have probably or you know feel like they have a right to know what is behind those redactions."

Mueller's report provides fresh evidence of Trump's interference in the Russia investigation and challenges lawmakers to respond.

The risks for both parties are clear if they duck the responsibility or prolong an inquiry that, rather than coming to a close, may be just beginning.

"My committee needs and is entitled to the full version of the report and the underlying evidence consistent with past practice," Nadler said in a statement.

The materials are due the day Barr is scheduled to testify before a Senate committee and one day before Barr is set to appear before Nadler's committee.

Nadler also has summoned Mueller to testify.

Republicans are eager to move beyond what Trump calls the "witch hunt" that has overshadowed the party and the presidency.

While Democrats say Mueller's findings are far more serious than initially indicated in Barr's four-page summary last month, they've been hesitant to pursue the ultimate step, impeachment proceedings, despite pressure from the left flank of the party to begin efforts to try to remove the president from office.

Pace says "Democrats have to decide if they want to continue to pursue these investigations -- if they want to move forward with impeachment. There are really mixed feelings in the Democratic caucus about that but we now shift from a criminal question to a political question."

===========================================================

Clients are reminded:

(i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: info@aparchive.com

(ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service

(iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory.

RESTRICTION SUMMARY: AP CLIENTS ONLY

SHOTLIST:

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 19 April 2019

1. Wide of people reading newspaper headlines at Washington's Newseum (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

2. Newspaper headlines on Mueller's report (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"The report really paints a damning picture of the Trump presidency. It shows a president who was consumed by the Mueller investigation. Someone who tried to get his top advisers to lie or obfuscate on his behalf and who really was trying to interfere with the Mueller investigation and actually only was blocked by his own - by his own team who either refused to carry out some of his orders or simply just let them fall by the wayside."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 18 April 2019

4. STILL IMAGE - Pages from Mueller's redacted report (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 19 April 2019

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"Ultimately Mueller did not find that, did not decide to go forward with criminal charges against Trump or some of the other figures that were around him at the early stages of his administration or during the campaign. But really when you,  when you put that aside there is a lot in here that really paints a troubling picture of this administration and it turns this into a political question now. That's for Democrats. Democrats have to decide if they want to continue to pursue these investigations, if they want to move forward with impeachment. There are really mixed feelings in the Democratic caucus about that but we now shift from a criminal question to a political question."

ASSOCIATED PRESS /U.S. HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE - AP CLIENTS ONLY

6. STILL IMAGES -  Compilation (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 18 April 2019

Special counsel Robert Mueller's redacted report  and

U.S. HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

Washington - 19 April 2019

Various pages of House Judiciary Committee issued subpoena

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"Certainly the full report the unredacted report will provide us with, with some level of additional information. There are, there are pieces of this report where you can figure out what's probably behind the redactions but then there are some where we really don't know and Democrats and the public have probably or you know feel like they have a right to know what is behind those redactions."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 18 April 2019

8. President Trump and Melania depart White House (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 19 April 2019

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"There are definitely some loud voices in the Democratic caucus that want to move forward on impeachment but we've heard for from the start from Democratic leaders people like Nancy Pelosi that she sees a pretty high bar for, for impeachment hearings. She has said repeatedly that she feels like in order to move forward on impeachment, you have to not only have really solid evidence of an impeachable offense but you also have to be able to bring not just Democrats but also Republicans on board."

DONALD TRUMP VIA TWITTER @REALDONALDTRUMP - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Internet - 19 April 2019

10. @realDonaldTrump Twitter page (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

11. Donald Trump tweet of a "Game of Thrones" type still image (English) "NO COLLUSION. NO OBSTRUCTION. FOR THE HATERS AND THE RADICAL LEFT DEMOCRATS -- GAME OVER" (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

12. Donald Trump tweet (English) "Statements are made about me by certain people in the Crazy Mueller Report, in itself written by 18 Angry Democrat Trump Haters, which are fabricated & totally untrue. Watch out for people that take so-called "notes," when the notes never existed until needed. Because I never...." (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

13. Donald Trump tweet (English) "...agreed to testify, it was not necessary for me to respond to statements made in the "Report" about me, some of which are total bullshit & only given to make the other person look good (or me to look bad). This was an Illegally Started Hoax that never should have happened, a... (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 19 April 2019

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Pace, Associated Press, Washington Bureau Chief:

"The president goes back and forth on this Mueller Report. On the one hand, he wants to argue that the main takeaway was hey I did nothing wrong there was no no collusion, no criminal obstruction. On the other hand, he's keenly aware that the report does paint this really damning picture of his presidency. And so he wants to with all those details out there now he wants to really undermine them. He wants to point fingers at Mueller's team and say they don't have enough credibility to make judgments on me. And then also he wants to cast doubt on the many Trump advisers who talked to Bob Mueller and provided pretty stunning details. He believes based on his track record over the past two years that he, he can undermine the credibility of that report, certainly for his base and perhaps for, for other Americans as well."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 18 April 2019

15. President Trump and Melania depart White House (PARTIALLY COVERS PREVIOUS SOUNDBITE)

STORYLINE:

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena Friday for special counsel's Robert Mueller's report as Congress escalates its investigation of President Donald Trump.

"It now falls to Congress to determine the full scope of that alleged misconduct and to decide what steps we must take going forward," said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y. He expects the Justice Department to comply by May 1.

While Mueller declined to prosecute Trump on obstruction of justice, he did not exonerate the president, all but leaving the question to Congress.

Associated Press Washington Bureau Chief Julia Pace says "Certainly the full report -- the unredacted report will provide us with -- with some level of additional information...there are pieces of this report where you can figure out what's probably behind the redactions but then there are some where we really don't know and Democrats and the public have probably or you know feel like they have a right to know what is behind those redactions."

Mueller's report provides fresh evidence of Trump's interference in the Russia investigation and challenges lawmakers to respond.

The risks for both parties are clear if they duck the responsibility or prolong an inquiry that, rather than coming to a close, may be just beginning.

"My committee needs and is entitled to the full version of the report and the underlying evidence consistent with past practice," Nadler said in a statement.

The materials are due the day Barr is scheduled to testify before a Senate committee and one day before Barr is set to appear before Nadler's committee.

Nadler also has summoned Mueller to testify.

Republicans are eager to move beyond what Trump calls the "witch hunt" that has overshadowed the party and the presidency.

While Democrats say Mueller's findings are far more serious than initially indicated in Barr's four-page summary last month, they've been hesitant to pursue the ultimate step, impeachment proceedings, despite pressure from the left flank of the party to begin efforts to try to remove the president from office.

Pace says "Democrats have to decide if they want to continue to pursue these investigations -- if they want to move forward with impeachment. There are really mixed feelings in the Democratic caucus about that but we now shift from a criminal question to a political question."

===========================================================

Clients are reminded:

(i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: info@aparchive.com

(ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service

(iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory.

US President Donald Trump claimed on October 8th 2018 that "the Democrats colluded with Russia".

Trump was speaking in Washington after returning from his meeting with Deputy US Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

He claimed that the Obama administration did nothing when it found out about possible Russian meddling in the 2016 US elections.

Trump also commented on Jamal Khashoggi, a missing Saudi journalist, saying: "I do not like it".

When asked about superstar Taylor Swift's support for Democratic candidates in Tennessee, Trump said he liked her music "about 25 percent less now".

***

President Donald Trump says he has answered written questions from special counsel Robert Mueller but hasn't yet submitted them.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on November 16th that he answered the questions "very easily" this week but added that "you have to always be careful."

The president did not say when he would turn over the answers to Mueller as part of the ongoing investigation into possible ties between Russia and the Trump campaign.

Trump had huddled with lawyer at the White House this week but made clear: "my lawyers don't write answers, I write answers."

Mueller had signaled a willingness to accept written answers on matters of collusion. The White House has said it would not answer Mueller's questions on possible obstruction of justice.

The president spoke to reporters shortly after a district judge ordered the Trump administration to immediately return the White House press credentials of CNN reporter Jim Acosta, though a lawsuit over the credentials' revocation is continuing.

Trump said "people have to behave" while in the White House and he said his staff will be "writing up rules and regulations" to guide press for future events.

The president insists he wants "total freedom of the press," but journalists "have to act with respect."

Trump didn't say what the new rules and regulations will entail.

***

Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer, has pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about work he did on a Trump real estate deal in Russia.

Cohen made a surprise appearance on November 29th in a New York courtroom.

He admitted to making false statements in 2017 to the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence about a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow.

In August 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to other federal charges involving his taxi businesses, bank fraud and his campaign work for Trump.

One of the prosecutors working with Special Counsel Robert Mueller was present in the courtroom.

Cohen's lawyer told the judge the plea deal involved cooperation with Mueller's investigation of Russian interference in the U.S. election.

***

A federal judge has agreed to delay former national security adviser Michael Flynn's sentencing so he can continue cooperating with the Russia probe.

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan on December 18th set a status conference for March 2019.

Attorneys for Flynn asked the judge to postpone the sentencing. The stunning request came after Sullivan warned Flynn that if he were sentenced as scheduled Tuesday, he might not get all the credit for his cooperation with investigators that he is entitled to.

Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his Russia contacts. Prosecutors had recommended no prison time, citing his cooperation. But the judge's rebuke raised the prospect that Flynn could get a harsher sentence.

00:55:18

00:00:00

Trump says Democrats colluded with Russia

4176320

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington DC - 8 October 2018

1. SOUNDBITE: (English) Donald Trump, US President:

" Everybody understands there was no collusion with Russia. It was all made up by the Democrats. They're the ones that colluded with Russia.

00:08:16

Trump: I answered Mueller's questions very easily

4182647

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 16 November 2018

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, US President:

" I was asked a series of questions, I've answered them very easily, very easily. I'm sure they're tripped up because you know, they like to catch people, gee, you know was the weather sunny or was it rainy? He said, 'it may have been a good day. It was rainy.' Therefore he told a lie, he perjured himself. OK, so you have to always be careful when you answer questions with people that probably have bad intentions. But no it's, the questions were very routinely answered by me, by me.

00:42.04

Michael Cohen pleads guilty to lying to Congress

4184494

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 29 November 2018

3. Michael Cohen walks out of courthouse with lawyer

00:49:23

Flynn sentencing delayed, he's still cooperating

4187405

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington DC - 18 December 2018

4. Michael Flynn leaves courthouse, enters SUV8

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus120758

Robert Mueller's testimony before Congress will depend not so much on what he says, but that he's even saying it at all.

For Democrats, the special counsel's appearance Wednesday creates a moment many have been waiting for: Mueller finally speaking out, piercing the public consciousness about President Donald Trump's response to the Russia investigation and whether anything should be done about it.

The political stakes are high for Trump, but also for Democrats, who have spent the past two years pushing toward this day. As public attention has drifted and views have hardened, Democrats are counting on Americans hearing what most have not likely read - the stunning findings of Mueller's 448-page report .

Yet there's a real possibility that Mueller may not bring clarity.

It took months to negotiate his appearance before Congress and he has been reluctant to speak beyond what he and his team wrote. Few bombshells are expected. As the House Judiciary Committee and the House Intelligence Committee gavel in, the buttoned-down prosecutor, once envisioned as a trusted last word, may deliver just-the-facts responses that leave more questions than answers.

Rather than galvanizing public opinion and the questions of impeachment, Mueller's reluctant appearance may become just another chapter in the Trump era that won't be closed until the 2020 election.

Trump tried to project a lack of interest, claiming he will not tune in to Wednesday's hourslong hearings.

POOL

Washington - 29 May 2019

1. Robert Mueller walks into Justice Department briefing room

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 22 July 2019

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press Reporter:

"Democrats have been trying to get Robert Mueller in ever since he issued his report, the Mueller Report in April, and they really think that they just need to get him in front of the American people to explain what he found because they think that Americans haven't read the Mueller Report."

3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press Reporter:

"I think one major point of questioning on both sides is going to be the fact that Mueller has essentially said that the President cannot be indicted. And so Democrats are going to try to get him to say you know what how important that decision was and when he made it. Republicans are really interested in the timeline of that, when did he decide that the president couldn't be indicted because some of them will try to make an argument that the investigation should have just been fully shut down if they decided that the president couldn't indict, couldn't be indicted. So I think that will be a major point of questioning on on both sides."

POOL

Washington - 10 June 2019

4. Various of House Judiciary Commitee Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler

POOL

Washington - 29 May 2019

5. Various of Mueller speaking

POOL

Washington - 10 June 2019

6. Various of Nadler

7. Various of Judiciary Commitee Ranking Member Rep. Doug Collins

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 22 July 2019

8. Various of President Donald Trump discussing upcoming Mueller hearings UPSOUND: (English) US President Donald Trump: "No, I'm not going to be watching, probably, maybe I'll see a little bit of it. I'm not going to be watching Mueller because you can't take all those bites out of the apple. We had no collusion, no obstruction."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 22 July 2019

9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press Reporter:

"More than 80 Democrats have called to open an impeachment inquiry just to hold hearings on impeachment for Donald Trump. Democrats who support that effort are hoping to see more of those calls after this hearing. Nancy Pelosi so far has said that she is not interested for now in impeachment. So it's unclear if this hearing will change that dynamic. Some Democrats are really hoping that it will."

10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press Reporter:

"What Democrats hope is that they're bringing the report into the American consciousness and that they get people to to see what they see, which is egregious behavior on behalf of the president. Republicans are hoping that this all just goes away, that this is the final chapter in the Mueller Report. I think it remains to be seen. As I said I think that when they go back for August recess, we'll see how the American people respond. Are they going to pressure their lawmakers to move for impeachment or to do more than they're currently doing? I think all of that remains to be seen and I think Nancy Pelosi who really controls a lot of this will be watching all of that."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - June 21 2019

11. Various of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 12 June 2019

12. House Intel Committee Chairman Adam Schiff speaking with Rep. Jim Himes

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 11 June 2019

13. Still photo of Nadler and Schiff

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 2 April 2019

14. Still photo of Republican Reps Mark Meadows and Jim Jordan

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - Recent

15. Pelosi walking out of White House

Special counsel Robert Mueller says President Donald Trump's efforts to influence the Russia investigation "were mostly unsuccessful," but that was because the people surrounding the president "declined to carry out orders to accede to his requests."

AP reporter Chad Day gives an initial review in this AP debrief of the two-volume report that exceeds 400 pages.

"The first volume that deals with Russian election interference and the actions of the Trump campaign is a couple of hundred pages long and goes into exhaustive detail about the information that they've gathered," he says.

"Interviewing 500 witnesses, issuing more than twenty eight hundred subpoenas, and putting together probably the most complete picture of what happened during the 2016 election involving the Trump campaign and Russia."

Mueller's report details instances by several officials, including former FBI Director James Comey, former White House counsel Don McGahn and former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, ignoring or refusing Trump's requests to interfere in the investigation.

"But some of those episodes show that Trump made several attempts to seize control of the investigation try to have Special Counsel Robert Mueller removed from the probe, or that his attorneys were trying to gather information about what people who were cooperating with the investigation were telling prosecutors," Day says.

Washington, DC - 18 April 2019

1. STILL: Redacted report of Special Council Robert Mueller

Washington, D.C. - 18 April 2019

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press +++PARTIALLY COVERED WITH STILL IMAGE+++

"So the headline today is that Mueller has made two big conclusions out of his report. Number one is that he did not establish that there was a criminal conspiracy between the Russian government and the Trump campaign to interfere in the 2016 election. The other is that he did not exonerate the president on the question of whether he obstructed justice, or tried to influence the Russia probe and crossed over into criminal conduct.

Washington, DC - 15 April 2010

3. FILE: Still of Robert Mueller on Capitol Hill

Washington, DC - 18 April 2019

4. STILL: Redacted report of Special Council Robert Mueller

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press +++PARTIALLY COVERED WITH STILL IMAGES+++

"In particular on the question of obstruction, Mueller examined 10 different episodes in which he was looking at the president's conduct to determine whether or not it crossed over into criminal conduct. Some of those episodes show that Trump made several attempts to seize control of the investigation, try to have Special Counsel Robert Mueller removed from the probe, or that his attorneys were trying to gather information about what people who were cooperating with the investigation were telling prosecutors."

6. STILL: President Trump speaks at Wounded Warrior Soldier Ride at White House

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press +++PARTIALLY COVERED WITH STILL IMAGES+++

"In particular, there's one episode that's related involving his personal attorney of his who is trying to gather information from former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Now, this is going back in time a little bit, but Flynn had just cut off contact with the Trump legal team, ahead of his pleading guilty and cooperating with the government. The report says that one of Trump's attorneys then reached out and tried to remind them that the president had warm feelings for Flynn and ask him to see if there was any information that he knew that could implicate the president. Whenever Flynn's attorneys rebuffed that effort, the attorney then said that he would remind the president that that Flynn's actions showed hostility towards the president. So, what they're showing is that they're painting a picture here of a president and people around him who are trying to shape and gather information about the probe but also to in some cases you know take control of it and influence the direction of where it's going."

Washington, DC - 18 December 2018

8. FILE: Still of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn arrives at federal courthouse

9. FILE: Still of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn at federal courthouse

Washington, DC - 18 April 2019

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press +++PARTIALLY COVERED WITH STILL IMAGES+++

"The report also details what happened in the months right after Special Counsel Robert Mueller was appointed in May of 2017. In particular, it shows that the president ordered his then White House counsel Don McGhan to try to have a special counsel Robert Mueller removed. Now McGahn rebuffed this effort but it shows how the president and the report quotes him saw the probe as possible end to his presidency, and something that would threaten his power. And at that point was trying to take efforts to take control of the investigation by having Mueller removed."

Washington, DC -- 15 April 2010

11. FILE: Still of Robert Mueller testifies on Capitol Hill

National Harbor, Maryland - 22 February 2018

12. FILE: Still of White House Counsel Don McGhan speaking at conservative gathering

Washington, DC - 18 April 2019

Redacted report on Russian interference on 2016 presidential election

Robert Mueller on Wednesday bluntly dismissed President Donald Trump's claims of total exoneration in the federal probe of Russia's 2016 election interference, telling Congress he explicitly did not clear the president of obstructing his investigation.

Eric Tucker of the Associated Press said after viewing the testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, "Special Counsel Mueller was very clear today that he did not exonerate President Donald Trump on the question of whether he had committed obstruction of justice. He was adamant in response to questioning from Democrats that that is not what his report said."

In hours of sometimes halting and stilted testimony, reliant on terse one-word answers and a steely determination to remain outside the partisan fray, Mueller also declared Russian election interference as one of the greatest challenges to democracy he has encountered in his career.

The televised Capitol Hill appearances, Mueller's first since wrapping his two-year Russia probe last spring, unfolded at a moment of deep divisions in the country, with many Americans hardened in their opinions about the success of Donald Trump's presidency and whether impeachment proceedings are necessary.

Republicans and Democrats took divergent paths in questioning Mueller, with Trump's GOP allies trying to cast the former special counsel and his prosecutors as politically motivated.

Democrats, meanwhile, sought to emphasize the most incendiary findings of Mueller's 448-page report and weaken Trump's reelection prospects in ways that Mueller's book-length report did not.

They hoped that even if his testimony did not inspire impeachment demands — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has made clear she will not pursue impeachment, for now — Mueller could nonetheless unambiguously spell out questionable, norm-shattering actions by the president.

Yet Mueller by midday appeared unwilling or unable to offer crisp sound bites that could reshape already-entrenched public opinions.

He frequently gave single-word answers to lawmakers' questions, even when given opportunities to crystallize allegations of obstruction of justice against the president. He referred time again to the wording in his report or asked for questions to be repeated. He declined to read aloud hard-hitting statements in the report when prodded by Democrats to do so.

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Washington - 24 July 2019

1. Mueller swearing into House Judiciary committee

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Special Counsel Mueller was very clear today that he did not exonerate President Donald Trump on the question of whether he had committed obstruction of justice. He was adamant in response to questioning from Democrats that that is not what his report said."

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Washington - 24 July 2019

3. Mueller testifying to House Judiciary committee

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"There is no question that he did not elaborate for whatever reason on questions that Democrats had. Soundbites they were hoping he would deliver. He did not walk through doors that they had opened in hopes of really giving a crisp expansive answer that could bring home allegations of wrongdoing against President Trump. It is clear that Mueller was either unwilling or unable or just simply resistant to the idea that he was going to use this forum to answer questions in a way that was going to really shed light and new details on his report."

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Washington - 24 July 2019

5. Medium of House Judiciary Committee

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"I think for Republicans what they were really trying to focus on was not so much what was in the report but what was not in the report namely how the FBI's Russian election interference began. And some of the concerns that the FBI began having about the Trump campaign. Some of that's detailed but I think Republicans really wanted to focus on allegations of partisanship on Mueller's team, allegations that a British spy who compiled a dossier of research had a political axe to pick and it was interesting to see there were certain questions from Republicans that really seemed to irritate Mueller. And then he responded in an animated way."

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Washington - 24 July 2019

7. Wide cutaway of House Judiciary Committee hearing

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Democrats repeatedly seized on the fact that there are a thousand prosecutors -- former prosecutors who signed onto this letter saying that was Trump anyone other than the president he would have been charged. Mueller didn't say 'oh yes' I would have definitely charged him. But I think it was important for Democrats to make that point regardless of the answer that Mueller gave. I think Democrats wanted to have the American public hear that from them. That position that he would have been charged were he not the president. And so that's why we heard that so often."

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Washington - 24 July 2019

9. Wide cutaway of House Judiciary Committee

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"I'm not sure that there's going to be any lasting success from the testimony -- certainly not enough to propel any kind of impeachment drive. I'm not really sure what kind of soundbite you're left with that you could put on TV and repeat an air over and over and over again. He did have an exchange where he was asked about the OLC (Office of Legal Counsel) opinion and did you not indict because of the OLC opinion and Mueller said 'correct'. And I think that gave Democrats some cheer that Mueller seemed to be suggesting that were it not for the OLC opinion saying you can't indict a sitting president that he would have charged. That gave Democrats some hope. But no I think Mueller was very clear of I'm not going to be your mouthpiece. I'm not going to be the person who you hold up as you try to push towards impeachment or try to get the president out of there."

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Washington - 24 July 2019

11. Medium  of House Judiciary Committee hearing

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Mueller was very clear that if you ask me something that is in the report I will confirm that it's in the report and I will refer you back to it. But I'm not going to expound or give opinions which is frankly not uncommon for a prosecutor. Right? You do your talking in court or you do you're talking through a legal document. I think they didn't want it. He did not want to do it through Congress. And I think he wanted to make sure that I'm not saying anything that's outside the four corners of my report. And so what we frequently heard from Mueller is he would decline to answer a question say I'm not going into that. That's not my purview or that's in the report and I stand by the report and you'll find your answer there. And that was really his standard response, time and again."

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Washington - 24 July 201

13. Wide of House Judiciary Committee hearing

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Mueller is there basically saying I am not here to try to drive the president out of office for a political reason I'm here to just investigate. And so I am not part of this process that the Democrats are trying to have here of answering questions for the purpose of political gain, for the purpose of pushing towards impeachment. I'm just here to talk about what I found in my criminal and counter intelligence investigation period. And so I think for Republicans who say look how tainted this process is. Mueller didn't really do them any favors either because he did not come across as a partisan in any way."

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Washington - 24 July 2019

15. Wide cutaway of House Judiciary Committee hearing

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"I think the American public is so hungry for more information to understand what Mueller found and did not find. The 448 page Mueller Report is a complicated legal document. It's not easy to get through. And I think the expectation is frankly most Americans have not picked it up let alone actually read it. So in many ways, Mueller appearing on TV is the first introduction that the American public has to what the investigation actually found."

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Washington - 24 July 2019

17. Cutaway of Mueller testifying to House Judiciary committee

It was a few days before the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump's inauguration and a Lebanese-American businessman was on his way to Mar-a-Lago.

George Nader, an international fixer whose long history included intrepid back-channel mediation between Israel and Arab countries - and a 15-year-old pedophilia conviction in Europe that has not been previously reported - was transiting through Dulles International Airport outside Washington.

It was hardly his first far-flung journey to see top aides of the world's most powerful leader, as Nader had met the U.S. president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and chief strategist Steve Bannon in the days before they stormed the White House.

But he encountered an altogether different scene awaiting him at the airport.

There, special counsel Robert Mueller's investigators stopped Nader, people familiar with the case said. His electronics were seized and he was then allowed to go to his lawyer. Nader later agreed to cooperate with Mueller's investigation, said the people with knowledge of the case as it pertains to Nader. They weren't authorized to speak publicly on the case and demanded anonymity.

Mueller, whose team has spent the last 10 months investigating possible Trump-related wrongdoing connected to Russia, is interested in high-level get-togethers Nader participated in after the presidential election, according to three people familiar with the case.

The first took place in Trump Tower in New York in December 2016 and brought together Nader, Kushner, Bannon - whom Trump fired last August - and Mohammed bin Zayed, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates. The second occurred a month later in the Indian Ocean archipelago of Seychelles and involved Nader, bin Zayed, former Blackwater boss Erik Prince and Kirill Dmitriev, a Russian banker close to President Vladimir Putin.

For Nader, it was the latest brush with the law in an eventful, globe-trotting career.

Many of Nader's former contacts and onetime friends have noted in recent weeks how they lost touch with him in the early 2000s.

On Wednesday, an official in the Czech Republic told The Associated Press that Nader is a convicted pedophile and served time in a Prague prison around that time.

Nader was convicted by Prague's Municipal Court of 10 cases of sexually abusing minors and sentenced to a one-year prison term in May 2003, said Marketa Puci, the court spokeswoman. She said the crimes occurred between 1999 and 2002.

Nader's legal problems in Prague appear unrelated to his role in Mueller's probe in the United States. But they contribute to the portrait of a man who has led a shadowy existence as a go-between across numerous Middle East capitals and who gave testimony to Mueller's Washington grand jury earlier this month.

Nader had worked in recent times as an adviser to bin Zayed, one of the most powerful men in the Middle East, according to people who know Nader. The questioning of Nader in the Mueller probe suggests possible interest in UAE relations with Trump's transition team or his administration.

Puci, the court spokeswoman, said Nader was convicted of "moral corruption of minors, sexual abuse and impairing morals," after abusing underage boys.

In one case, Nader requested oral sex from a 14-year-old in a room at the Hilton Hotel in Prague, Puci said. After the boy refused, Nader masturbated in front of the boy and paid him 2,000 koruna - worth about $100 today, she said.

The verdict cites other examples of Nader providing money, jewelry, cellphones, clothes and accommodation for sexual services. The AP was able to see a copy of the verdict, which gives Nader's birthdate as May 15, 1959. Nader was separately accused in Washington, D.C., of child pornography infractions in 1985, but those charges were later dropped. A criminal docket sheet obtained by the AP shows the same birthdate for Nader.

Two people with knowledge of the case say it involved the same Nader now cooperating with Mueller.

Puci said it wasn't clear how much of the one-year sentence Nader served in the Czech Republic. He was ordered expelled following his time served.

Kathy Ruemmler, who previously served as White House counsel to President Barack Obama, is among the lawyers representing Nader. She declined to answer questions about her client.

But Sandeep Savla, another lawyer for Nader, said: "This is nothing more than an orchestrated, disgusting scheme by those who are trying to intimidate Mr. Nader into silence. It won't work. Mr. Nader will continue to answer truthfully questions put to him by the special counsel."

Nader's connections with Trump confidants include Elliott Broidy, a top Republican fundraiser who co-hosted a Tuesday night event attended by the president in Beverly Hills, California.

Earlier this month, several media organizations, including the AP, obtained emails belonging to Broidy, a California-based venture capitalist and the Republican National Committee's deputy finance chairman. They show Broidy emailing Nader with a summary of Broidy's talks with Kushner and Trump in the White House in October 2017, touching on matters including the UAE's bitter dispute with fellow Persian Gulf country Qatar.

Broidy accused Qatar of hacking his emails. The Qataris denied the charge.

"Your government's actions against U.S. citizens will jeopardize your nation's relationship with the United States," Broidy wrote in a public letter to Qatar's U.S. ambassador.

In response, the Qatari government called Broidy's "baseless accusations" a "diversionary tactic."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Prague - 14 March 2018

1. Portion of court verdict and sentence with George Nader's name on it and stating he is a citizen of the United States

2. Various, Prague Municipal Court Spokesperson, Marketa Puci, holding court verdict and sentence

3. SOUNDBITE (Czech) Marketa Puci, Prague Municipal Court Spokesperson:

"I'm holding a verdict by which an American citizen, George Nader, together with Czech offenders was in 2003 convicted, for crimes that I will now read to you. The court sentenced him to one year in prison and to an indefinite deportation."

4. Shot of first page of court verdict and sentence reading, "judgment on behalf of the Republic"

5. SOUNDBITE (Czech) Marketa Puci, Prague Municipal Court Spokesperson:

"According to the then valid law, Mr. Nader was convicted of moral corruption of minors, sexual abuse and impairing morals."

6. Shot of first page of court verdict and sentence reading, "judgment on behalf of the Republic"

7. SOUNDBITE (Czech) Marketa Puci, Prague Municipal Court Spokesperson:

"At that time was (the victim) was 14-years-old. He (Nader) requested oral sex and after the boy refused, he with the boy's consent, pulled out his private parts and masturbated in front of him and for that mister Nader paid the boy 2000 Koruna. And there have been 10 similar cases like this."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, D.C. - 15 May 2017

8. Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan with President Donald Trump in Oval Office

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 13 June 2013

8. Various, then-FBI Director Robert Mueller being sworn in

9. STILL Image Mueller in committee hearing

POOL

New York - 17 August 2016

10. Various views, then candidate Donald Trump meeting with advisers in Trump Tower, including Stephen Bannon and Paul Manafort

POOL

New York - 15 December 2016

11. Wide, Trump Tower lobby

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 11 November 2016

12. STILL Image, Stephen Bannon leaving Trump Tower

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 9 December 2016

13. STILL Images, Steve Bannon speaking on cellphone outside Trump Tower

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 14 November 2016

14. Mid, Jared Kushner arrives in lobby of Trump Tower

POOL

New York - 6 December 2016

15. US President-elect Donald Trump walks out of elevator at Trump Tower

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald J. Trump, President-elect: ++SHOT CONTINUES FROM PREVIOUS++

"Good morning, how are you? Everything fine? We have got some great people coming in today. You'll see them."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dulles, Virginia - 6 October 2014

17. Wide, zoom Dulles airport

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus120898

Robert Mueller on Wednesday bluntly dismissed President Donald Trump's claims of total exoneration in the federal probe of Russia's 2016 election interference, telling Congress he explicitly did not clear the president of obstructing his investigation.

Eric Tucker of the Associated Press said after viewing the testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, "Special Counsel Mueller was very clear today that he did not exonerate President Donald Trump on the question of whether he had committed obstruction of justice. He was adamant in response to questioning from Democrats that that is not what his report said."

In hours of sometimes halting and stilted testimony, reliant on terse one-word answers and a steely determination to remain outside the partisan fray, Mueller also declared Russian election interference as one of the greatest challenges to democracy he has encountered in his career.

The televised Capitol Hill appearances, Mueller's first since wrapping his two-year Russia probe last spring, unfolded at a moment of deep divisions in the country, with many Americans hardened in their opinions about the success of Donald Trump's presidency and whether impeachment proceedings are necessary.

Republicans and Democrats took divergent paths in questioning Mueller, with Trump's GOP allies trying to cast the former special counsel and his prosecutors as politically motivated.

Democrats, meanwhile, sought to emphasize the most incendiary findings of Mueller's 448-page report and weaken Trump's reelection prospects in ways that Mueller's book-length report did not.

They hoped that even if his testimony did not inspire impeachment demands — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has made clear she will not pursue impeachment, for now — Mueller could nonetheless unambiguously spell out questionable, norm-shattering actions by the president.

Yet Mueller by midday appeared unwilling or unable to offer crisp sound bites that could reshape already-entrenched public opinions.

He frequently gave single-word answers to lawmakers' questions, even when given opportunities to crystallize allegations of obstruction of justice against the president. He referred time again to the wording in his report or asked for questions to be repeated. He declined to read aloud hard-hitting statements in the report when prodded by Democrats to do so.

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Washington - 24 July 2019

1. Mueller swearing into House Judiciary committee (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Special Counsel Mueller was very clear today that he did not exonerate President Donald Trump on the question of whether he had committed obstruction of justice. He was adamant in response to questioning from Democrats that that is not what his report said."

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Washington - 24 July 2019

3. Mueller testifying to House Judiciary committee (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"There is no question that he did not elaborate for whatever reason on questions that Democrats had.  Soundbites they were hoping he would deliver. He did not walk through doors that they had opened in hopes of really giving a crisp expansive answer that could bring home allegations of wrongdoing against President Trump. It is clear that Mueller was either unwilling or unable or just simply resistant to the idea that he was going to use this forum to answer questions in a way that was going to really shed light and new details on his report."

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Washington - 24 July 2019

5. Medium of House Judiciary Committee hearing during questioning (PARTIALLY COVERS PREVIOUS SOUNDBITE)

6. Cutaway of House Judiciary Committee hearing during questioning (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"I think for Republicans what they were really trying to focus on was not so much what was in the report but what was not in the report namely how the FBI's Russian election interference began. And some of the concerns that the FBI began having about the Trump campaign. Some of that's detailed but I think Republicans really wanted to focus on allegations of partisanship on Mueller's team, allegations that a British spy who compiled a dossier of research had a political axe to pick and it was interesting to see there were certain questions from Republicans that really seemed to irritate Mueller. And then he responded in an animated way."

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Washington - 24 July 2019

8. Medium of House Judiciary Committee hearing during questioning (PARTIALLY COVERS PREVIOUS SOUNDBITE)

9. Cutaway of Mueller testifying before Judiciary Committee (PARTIALLY COVERS PREVIOUS SOUNDBITE)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"I'm not sure that there's going to be any lasting success from the testimony -- certainly not enough to propel any kind of impeachment drive. I'm not really sure what kind of soundbite you're left with that you could put on TV and repeat and air over and over and over again. He did have an exchange where he was asked about the OLC (Office of Legal Counsel) opinion and did you not indict because of the OLC opinion and Mueller said 'correct'."

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Washington - 24 July 2019

11. Wide of House Judiciary Committee hearing (PARTIALLY COVERS UPCOMING SOUNDBITE)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Mueller was very clear that if you ask me something that is in the report I will confirm that it's in the report and I will refer you back to it. But I'm not going to expound or give opinions which is frankly not uncommon for a prosecutor. Right? You do your talking in court or you do you're talking through a legal document. I think they didn't want it. He did not want to do it through Congress. And I think he wanted to make sure that I'm not saying anything that's outside the four corners of my report. And so what we frequently heard from Mueller is he would decline to answer a question say I'm not going into that. That's not my purview or that's in the report and I stand by the report and you'll have to find your answer there. And that was really his standard response, time and again."

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Washington - 24 July 2019

13. Cutaway of Mueller testifying to House Judiciary committee (PARTIALLY COVERS PREVIOUS SOUNDBITE)

Robert Mueller on Wednesday bluntly dismissed President Donald Trump's claims of total exoneration in the federal probe of Russia's 2016 election interference, telling Congress he explicitly did not clear the president of obstructing his investigation.

Eric Tucker of the Associated Press said after viewing the testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, "Special Counsel Mueller was very clear today that he did not exonerate President Donald Trump on the question of whether he had committed obstruction of justice. He was adamant in response to questioning from Democrats that that is not what his report said."

In hours of sometimes halting and stilted testimony, reliant on terse one-word answers and a steely determination to remain outside the partisan fray, Mueller also declared Russian election interference as one of the greatest challenges to democracy he has encountered in his career.

The televised Capitol Hill appearances, Mueller's first since wrapping his two-year Russia probe last spring, unfolded at a moment of deep divisions in the country, with many Americans hardened in their opinions about the success of Donald Trump's presidency and whether impeachment proceedings are necessary.

Republicans and Democrats took divergent paths in questioning Mueller, with Trump's GOP allies trying to cast the former special counsel and his prosecutors as politically motivated.

Democrats, meanwhile, sought to emphasize the most incendiary findings of Mueller's 448-page report and weaken Trump's reelection prospects in ways that Mueller's book-length report did not.

They hoped that even if his testimony did not inspire impeachment demands — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has made clear she will not pursue impeachment, for now — Mueller could nonetheless unambiguously spell out questionable, norm-shattering actions by the president.

Yet Mueller by midday appeared unwilling or unable to offer crisp sound bites that could reshape already-entrenched public opinions.

He frequently gave single-word answers to lawmakers' questions, even when given opportunities to crystallize allegations of obstruction of justice against the president. He referred time again to the wording in his report or asked for questions to be repeated. He declined to read aloud hard-hitting statements in the report when prodded by Democrats to do so.

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Washington - 24 July 2019

1. Mueller swearing into House Judiciary committee

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Special Counsel Mueller was very clear today that he did not exonerate President Donald Trump on the question of whether he had committed obstruction of justice. He was adamant in response to questioning from Democrats that that is not what his report said."

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Washington - 24 July 2019

3. Mueller testifying to House Judiciary committee

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"There is no question that he did not elaborate for whatever reason on questions that Democrats had. Soundbites they were hoping he would deliver. He did not walk through doors that they had opened in hopes of really giving a crisp expansive answer that could bring home allegations of wrongdoing against President Trump. It is clear that Mueller was either unwilling or unable or just simply resistant to the idea that he was going to use this forum to answer questions in a way that was going to really shed light and new details on his report."

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Washington - 24 July 2019

5. Medium of House Judiciary Committee

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"I think for Republicans what they were really trying to focus on was not so much what was in the report but what was not in the report namely how the FBI's Russian election interference began. And some of the concerns that the FBI began having about the Trump campaign. Some of that's detailed but I think Republicans really wanted to focus on allegations of partisanship on Mueller's team, allegations that a British spy who compiled a dossier of research had a political axe to pick and it was interesting to see there were certain questions from Republicans that really seemed to irritate Mueller. And then he responded in an animated way."

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Washington - 24 July 2019

7. Wide cutaway of House Judiciary Committee hearing

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Democrats repeatedly seized on the fact that there are a thousand prosecutors -- former prosecutors who signed onto this letter saying that was Trump anyone other than the president he would have been charged. Mueller didn't say 'oh yes' I would have definitely charged him. But I think it was important for Democrats to make that point regardless of the answer that Mueller gave. I think Democrats wanted to have the American public hear that from them. That position that he would have been charged were he not the president. And so that's why we heard that so often."

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 2019

9. Wide cutaway of House Judiciary Committee

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"I'm not sure that there's going to be any lasting success from the testimony -- certainly not enough to propel any kind of impeachment drive. I'm not really sure what kind of soundbite you're left with that you could put on TV and repeat an air over and over and over again. He did have an exchange where he was asked about the OLC (Office of Legal Counsel) opinion and did you not indict because of the OLC opinion and Mueller said 'correct'. And I think that gave Democrats some cheer that Mueller seemed to be suggesting that were it not for the OLC opinion saying you can't indict a sitting president that he would have charged. That gave Democrats some hope. But no I think Mueller was very clear of I'm not going to be your mouthpiece. I'm not going to be the person who you hold up as you try to push towards impeachment or try to get the president out of there."

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 2019

11. Medium  of House Judiciary Committee hearing

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Mueller was very clear that if you ask me something that is in the report I will confirm that it's in the report and I will refer you back to it. But I'm not going to expound or give opinions which is frankly not uncommon for a prosecutor. Right? You do your talking in court or you do you're talking through a legal document. I think they didn't want it. He did not want to do it through Congress. And I think he wanted to make sure that I'm not saying anything that's outside the four corners of my report. And so what we frequently heard from Mueller is he would decline to answer a question say I'm not going into that. That's not my purview or that's in the report and I stand by the report and you'll find your answer there. And that was really his standard response, time and again."

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 201

13. Wide of House Judiciary Committee hearing

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Mueller is there basically saying I am not here to try to drive the president out of office for a political reason I'm here to just investigate. And so I am not part of this process that the Democrats are trying to have here of answering questions for the purpose of political gain, for the purpose of pushing towards impeachment. I'm just here to talk about what I found in my criminal and counter intelligence investigation period. And so I think for Republicans who say look how tainted this process is. Mueller didn't really do them any favors either because he did not come across as a partisan in any way."

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 2019

15. Wide cutaway of House Judiciary Committee hearing

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 24 July 2019

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"I think the American public is so hungry for more information to understand what Mueller found and did not find. The 448 page Mueller Report is a complicated legal document. It's not easy to get through. And I think the expectation is frankly most Americans have not picked it up let alone actually read it. So in many ways, Mueller appearing on TV is the first introduction that the American public has to what the investigation actually found."

US NETWORK POOL VIA ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE - STRICTLY NO ARCHIVE RESALE/AUTHORIZED RE-USE BY AP'S BROADCAST AND DIGITAL OUTPUT ONLY

Washington - 24 July 2019

17. Cutaway of Mueller testifying to House Judiciary committee

Attorney General Jeff Sessions was interviewed for hours last week in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, the Justice Department confirmed Tuesday. He's the highest-ranking Trump administration official and first Cabinet member known to have submitted to questioning.

The interview came as Mueller investigates whether President Donald Trump's actions in office, including the firing of FBI Director James Comey, constitute efforts to obstruct the FBI probe into contacts between his 2016 campaign and Russia. Trump's own lawyers are discussing the prospect of an interview with the president himself, and White House officials state publicly that they anticipate a resolution soon to the investigation.

The questioning of the country's chief law enforcement officer is a reflection of investigators' continued interest in whether the president took steps to improperly obstruct justice. That question has been at the heart of the investigation for months as agents and prosecutors have questioned multiple current and former White House officials.

Sessions himself is seen as a potentially important witness given his direct involvement in the May 9 firing of Comey.

The White House initially said the termination was done on the recommendation of the Justice Department and cited a memo from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that faulted Comey for his handling of the Hillary Clinton email server investigation as justification.

But Trump said later that he was thinking of "this Russia thing" when he fired Comey, and he had decided to make the move even before the Justice Department's recommendations.

Sessions was one of Trump's earliest and most loyal allies, the first senator to endorse him during the presidential campaign.

But his decision to step aside from the Russia investigation has strained their bond, and the two men now rarely speak directly. Trump saw the recusal as weak and disloyal, believing his attorney general should be doing more to protect him

Over the past several months Mueller investigators have spoken with other key people close to the president, including White House Counsel Don McGahn, former chief of staff Reince Priebus and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Sessions' attorney, Chuck Cooper, declined to comment, as did the White House.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 5 September 2017

1. FILE Sessions speaking at Department of Justice about DACA

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 January 2018

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Reporter:

"Jeff Sessions is the country's chief law enforcement officer. He is the first cabinet member who has been known to be interviewed by Special Counsel Mueller. He's the highest ranking Trump administration official who we know, and what it indicates is a continued interest by Mueller and his team in questions about whether the president committed obstruction of justice while in office."

ASSOCIATED PRES

Washington - 5 September 2017

3. FILE Sessions speaking at Department of Justice about DACA

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 January 2018

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Reporter:

"What he actually most critically is involved in was the firing of FBI Director Jim Comey back in May, and that is one of the critical episodes of the Trump presidency that's been under investigation by Bob Mueller."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 9 February 2017

5. FILE Various Jeff Sessions being sworn in as attorney general by President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 January 2018

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Reporter:

"And it's part of a series of questions as to whether the president took actions while in office to stymie the FBI investigation into contacts between his campaign and Russia. And you'll remember that Jeff Sessions was very important to that because he is somebody who endorsed the firing of Director Comey."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 9 February 2017

7. FILE Jeff Sessions being sworn in as attorney general by President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 January 2018

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Reporter:

"We know that the special counsel's office has interviewed multiple current and former White House officials including the president's own son in law Jared Kushner, White House counsel Don McGahn and the former chief of staff Reince Priebus. We also know that special counsel Mueller has expressed interest in a potential interview down the road with the president."

US POOL

Washington - 9 February 2017

9. FILE Newly appointed U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions arriving at the Department of Justice and shaking hands with staff

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 January 2018

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Reporter:

"White House lawyer Ty Cobb has been on record as saying he anticipates the investigation will resolve soon. He's put a time frame of four to six weeks. We're not sure if that's actually going to happen. It's sort of hard to predict for anyone when these investigations will end."

US POOL

Washington - 9 February 2017

11. FILE Newly appointed U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions arriving at the Department of Justice and shaking hands with staff

Once Special Counsel Robert Mueller completes his Trump-Russia investigation, he will hand a report over to the Attorney General. We may not get all the details uncovered, at least not right away, but here's what we can expect:

Mueller has to turn in a report of some kind. It could be pretty bare-bones. Justice Department regulations require only that Mueller give the attorney general a confidential report that explains the decisions to pursue or decline prosecutions. That could be as simple as a bullet point list or as fulsome as a report running hundreds of pages.

Barr indicated that he expects to use his report to share the results of Mueller's investigation with the public, which the regulations allow him to do. But he hedged on specifics and said his plans could change after speaking with Mueller and Rosenstein.

It is unclear whether Trump will ask to see the report and under what circumstances he or his attorneys might be able to view it, especially because the document is meant to be confidential for Justice Department leadership. Mueller reports to the Justice Department, not the White House.

Barr said at his confirmation hearing that he would not permit White House interference in the investigation. But he also has voiced an expansive view of executive power in which the president functions as the country's chief law enforcement officer and has wide latitude in giving directives to the FBI and Justice Department.

While delivery of the report to the Attorney General marks the end of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, for many who cover Washington politics, the work continues.

"There's going to be ongoing clashes on Capitol Hill as to how much information can be released and what to do with that information," says Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker.

He adds there will also be questions about the Justice Department and "the politicization of law enforcement."

Washington, DC - 21 August 2013

1. FILE: Still of Robert Mueller speaking during interview at FBI headquarters

Washington - 19 March 2019

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter: +++SOT PARTIALLY COVERED BY VARIOUS STILLS+++

"The Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation is ending. For many in Washington who cover it closely like myself, in many ways, the work continues, just as it did before, because there's going to be ongoing clashes on Capitol Hill as to how much information can be released and what to do with that information. There are going to be continuing stories about the substance of the Special Counsel's nearly nearly two year long investigation -- what he found, what he didn't find and what impact that has on the Trump administration and the remainder of the Trump presidency."

Washington, DC - 8 February  2019

3. GOP Rep. Doug Collins expresses exasperation during Judiciary Committee hearing

Washington, DC - 13 June 2013

4. FILE: Still of Robert Mueller testifies at House Judiciary Committee hearing

Washington, DC - 17 March 2019

5. FILE: Still of President Trump and First Lady walk to motorcade after church

Washington - 19 March 2019

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter: +++SOT PARTIALLY COVERED BY STILLS+++

"There are just a couple things that the attorney general has to provide to Congress. One is notification that Mueller's investigation has concluded. He also has to advise him of something else that's really specific and interesting and that is any moment in which an investigative step or action that was proposed by the special counsel was rejected or turned down by the Justice Department. So that's something he's actually required under the regulations to provide. And that's it. But what he committed to do in his confirmation hearing was to make as much of the information from Mueller's report and as much of his findings public as possible, as permitted, under the law."

Washington, DC - 15 January 2019

7. William Barr testifying at Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on confirmation

Washington, DC - 13 June 2013

8. FILE: Still of Robert Mueller testifies at House Judiciary Committee hearing

Washington, DC - 15 January 2019

9. Various of William Barr taking oath at Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing

Washington - 19 March 2019

10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter: +++SOT PARTIALLY COVERED BY STILLS+++

"It is not clear that the underlying Mueller report, from page to page, will ever be seen by the public because what the attorney general is committed to doing is taking that report and basically editing it to sanction out or or delete from public view any sort of classified information that he thinks is not ready to be seen by the public. However, there is a scenario in which Congress could attempt to subpoena the document itself or subpoena the special counsel to say, 'We want you to come to Capitol Hill and we want to ask you exactly what you found. And we want you to tell us."

Washington, DC - January 2019

11. William Barr testifying at Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing

Washington, DC - 8 February 2019

12. FILE: Still of House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler holding hearing

Washington, DC - 6 February 2019

13. FILE: Still of House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff speaks with reporters

Washington - 19 March 2019

14. SOUNDBITE: (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"One thing that the attorney general said in his confirmation hearing -- he was asked specifically about this idea of will you let the president's attorney, Rudy Giuliani, receive and edit any report that is transmitted before it's publicly released and he said unequivolcally no. But that's a distinction though an important difference because the White House, the actual White House attorneys, the White House Counsel's Office, they might very well attempt to legally invoke some sort of privilege to say that there's certain information that's contained, or is likely contained, in this documenreport that should not be released because it reflects executive privilege."

Washington, DC - January 2019

15. FILE: Still of William Barr testifying at Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing

Washington - 19 March 2019

16. Still of President Donald Trump walks toward Rose Garden at the White House

Washington - 14 March 2019

17 FILE: Still of President Donald Trump seated in Oval Office

Attorney General Jeff Sessions was interviewed for hours last week in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, the Justice Department confirmed Tuesday. He's the highest-ranking Trump administration official and first Cabinet member known to have submitted to questioning.

The interview came as Mueller investigates whether President Donald Trump's actions in office, including the firing of FBI Director James Comey, constitute efforts to obstruct the FBI probe into contacts between his 2016 campaign and Russia. Trump's own lawyers are discussing the prospect of an interview with the president himself, and White House officials state publicly that they anticipate a resolution soon to the investigation.

The questioning of the country's chief law enforcement officer is a reflection of investigators' continued interest in whether the president took steps to improperly obstruct justice. That question has been at the heart of the investigation for months as agents and prosecutors have questioned multiple current and former White House officials.

Sessions himself is seen as a potentially important witness given his direct involvement in the May 9 firing of Comey. The White House initially said the termination was done on the recommendation of the Justice Department and cited a memo from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that faulted Comey for his handling of the Hillary Clinton email server investigation as justification.

But Trump said later that he was thinking of "this Russia thing" when he fired Comey, and he had decided to make the move even before the Justice Department's recommendations.

Sessions was one of Trump's earliest and most loyal allies, the first senator to endorse him during the presidential campaign. They shared an ambitious law-and-order agenda that focuses on hawkish immigration policies and tough-on-crime strategies that engendered affection from many conservatives.

He has continued to push Trump's agenda on everything from gangs and the opioid crisis to religious freedom, giving the president credit every step of the way.

But his decision to step aside from the Russia investigation has strained their bond, and the two men now rarely speak directly. Trump saw the recusal as weak and disloyal, believing his attorney general should be doing more to protect him

Over the past several months Mueller investigators have spoken with other key people close to the president, including White House Counsel Don McGahn, former chief of staff Reince Priebus and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Mueller has conveyed interest in speaking with the president, and White House attorney Ty Cobb said that is "under active discussion" with Trump's individual lawyers. He said last week on a CBS News' political podcast, "The Takeout," that he expected the investigation to be wrapped up within weeks.

Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation in early March after acknowledging that he had had two previously undisclosed encounters with the Russian ambassador during Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. He said at the time that it would be improper for him to oversee a probe into a campaign for which he was a vocal and prominent supporter.

Since then, Trump has lashed out repeatedly on Twitter at Sessions and the Justice Department.

People familiar with the matter have told The Associated Press that McGahn had contacted Sessions to urge him to retain control of the investigation. McGahn was acting at the behest of the president, according to one of those people, who spoke only on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak publicly by name.

Rosenstein appointed Mueller, a former FBI director, to take over the Russia investigation one week after Comey was fired. He oversees the work of Mueller's investigators, but he told the AP in an interview last June that he, too, would recuse himself if his actions ever became relevant to the probe.

Sessions' attorney, Chuck Cooper, declined to comment, as did the White House.

Four people have so far been charged in the Mueller investigation, including former White House National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. Flynn and George Papadopoulos, a former campaign foreign policy adviser, have pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.

Sessions' interview with the Mueller team was first reported by The New York Times.

++SOUNDBITES PARTIALLY COVERED BY VIDEO++

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 5 September 2017

1. FILE Various Sessions speaking at Department of Justice about DACA

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 23 January 2018

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Reporter:

"Jeff Sessions is the country's chief law enforcement officer. He is the first cabinet member who has been known to be interviewed by Special Counsel Mueller. He's the highest ranking Trump administration official who we know, and what it indicates is a continued interest by Mueller and his team in questions about whether the president committed obstruction of justice while in office."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 9 February 2017

3. FILE Various Jeff Sessions being sworn in as attorney general by President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 January 2018

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Reporter:

"What he actually most critically is involved in was the firing of FBI Director Jim Comey back in May, and that is one of the critical episodes of the Trump presidency that's been under investigation by Bob Mueller. And it's part of a series of questions as to whether the president took actions while in office to stymie the FBI investigation into contacts between his campaign and Russia. And you'll remember that Jeff Sessions was very important to that because he is somebody who endorsed the firing of Director Comey."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 9 February 2017

5. FILE Jeff Sessions being sworn in as attorney general by President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 January 2018

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Reporter:

"We know that the special counsel's office has interviewed multiple current and former White House officials including the president's own son in law Jared Kushner, White House counsel Don McGahn and the former chief of staff Reince Priebus. We also know that special counsel Mueller has expressed interest in a potential interview down the road with the president."

US POOL

Washington - 9 February 2017

7. FILE Newly appointed U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions arriving at the Department of Justice and shaking hands with staff

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 January 2018

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Reporter:

"White House lawyer Ty Cobb has been on record as saying he anticipates the investigation will resolve soon. He's put a time frame of four to six weeks. We're not sure if that's actually going to happen. It's sort of hard to predict for anyone when these investigations will end."

RESTRICTION SUMMARY: PART MANDATORY COURTESY DONALD J. TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT

SHOTLIST:

POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 13 June 2013

1. Various of then FBI Director Robert Mueller being sworn in before giving evidence to committee

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"It has been one year since Bob Mueller, the former FBI director, was appointed by the Justice Department as special counsel to investigate whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Kremlin to tip the 2016 presidential election in favor of Donald Trump."

POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Lowell, Massachusetts - 5 January 2016

3. Various President Donald Trump at campaign rally

4. UPSOUND (English) crowd chants "USA!"

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"The other question emerged almost immediately after Mueller was appointed and that is did the president take actions to obstruct justice during the course of the original Russia investigation? And that stems from multiple actions that he's taken including the firing last May of FBI Director James Comey and his subsequent hectoring and badgering of Attorney General Jeff Sessions over his recusal from the Russia investigation."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington DC - 15 May 2018

6. Various President Trump leaving to visit First Lady Melania in the hospital

HOUSE TV - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 28 September 2016

7. Various then FBI Director James Comey answering questions about Hillary Clinton's email case

TWITTER/@realDonaldTrump - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Internet - 28 February 2018

8. Screen grab of Tweet from President Donald Trump reading: "Why is A.G. Jeff Sessions asking the Inspector General to investigate potentially massive FISA abuse. Will take forever, has no prosecutorial power and already late with reports on Comey etc. Isn't the I.G. an Obama guy? Why not use Justice Department lawyers? DISGRACEFUL!"

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 30 June 2010

6. STILL Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) on Capitol Hill

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"In the 12 months since the appointment, it's been a busy year of multiple indictments, guilty pleas, tense court appearances, tirades on Twitter from President Donald Trump and ongoing negotiations about what's going to happen next."

TWITTER/@realDonaldTrump - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Internet - 15 June 2017

8. Screen grab of President Donald Trump Twitter home page

9. Screen grab of Tweet from President Donald Trump reading: "You are witnessing the single greatest WITCH HUNT in American political history - led by some very bad and conflicted people!  #MAGA"

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 3 April 2018

9. Wide of first person to face sentencing in Mueller probe arriving to court, Alex van der Zwaan

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"The number of people who've been questioned is in the dozens, both before the grand jury and then privately and Mueller's offices in Washington. And it's a true who's who of boldface Washington White House big names. So we're talking about Steve Bannon, Reince Priebus, Don McGahn, Hope Hicks, Stephen Miller, these are the people who were in the president's inner circle during the course of the early months of the administration."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 31 January 2017

11. Zoom of Steve Bannon standing next to Reince Priebus at White House event

POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Tampa Bay, Florida - 27 August 2012

12. Mid, then Republican chairman Reince Preibus at GOP convention

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

National Harbor, Maryland - 22 February 2018

13. Various then White House Counsel Don McGahn speaks at CPAC

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 27 February 2018

14. Pan shot as White House Communications Director Hope Hicks walks past

DONALD J. TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT - MANDATORY COURTESY

Unknown Date and Location

15. Various of Donald Trump campaign ad

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"So far we have 19 people who have been charged. Thirteen of those are Russians, and they are Russians who are accused of participating in a hidden but very powerful social media effort to sow discord in the American public through fake and bogus Facebook ads that really exploited divisions on hot button issues like race, policing, ethnicity, abortion, you name it."

FACEBOOK VIA US HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Internet - July 2016

17. Various ads allegedly created by Russian internet agency

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

18. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"So that's 13 of the 19. Then of the six others, we have the president's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who has been indicted and is awaiting trial in both Alexandria, Virginia and Washington."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Alexandria, Virginia - 8 March 2018

19. STILL Various Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, leaves Federal Courthouse

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"That includes Michael Flynn, who was the former White House national security adviser. He was effectively fired in February, pleaded guilty in December to lying to the FBI and he's been a key cooperator for Mueller ever since."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 1 December 2017

21. STILL Former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn arrives at court

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

22. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"The next big question that we're all waiting for is whether President Donald Trump is going to sit for an interview with Special Counsel Robert Mueller."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 22 March 2018

23. UPSOUND (English)

Reporter: "Mr. President, would you still like to testify to special counsel Robert Mueller, sir?"

Trump: "Yes, I would like to."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

28. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"The question then becomes, if he chooses not to, if he refuses to, whether special counsel Mueller will issue a subpoena to try to compel his testimony and compel him to give statements that would be an extraordinary move that could result in a Supreme Court fight. Or the alternative would be to simply conclude the investigation without hearing from the person who's at the center of it, which is something frankly that prosecutors do all the time. In this case still Mueller has communicated to Trump's legal team that they really want to understand the state of mind here. A lot of the actions by themselves might not be crimes, but they need to understand what the person who was taking the action was thinking at the time they were doing it."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington DC - 15 May 2018

29. Pan shot, President Trump leaving to visit First Lady Melania in the hospital

NETWORK POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 15 May 2018

30. Various President Trump paying tribute to police officers who died on duty

DONALD J. TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT - MANDATORY COURTESY

Unknown Date and Location

31. Various of Donald Trump campaign ad

STORYLINE:

It was one year ago Thursday when Robert Mueller, the former FBI director, was appointed as special counsel to take over the Justice Department's investigation into possible coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign.

The 12 months since have yielded a flurry of criminal indictments and guilty pleas, tense court appearances, angry Twitter messages from the president _ and speculation over what the ever-taciturn Mueller already knows and what he'll investigate next.

Hundreds of pages of court filings, and public statements from witnesses, have to an extent pulled back the curtain on an extraordinarily secretive investigation. But much remains hidden from view.

A look at the last year and what may lie ahead:

WHAT IS MUELLER INVESTIGATING?

There's no doubt Mueller's investigation is far reaching, but at its core, prosecutors have remained focused on two central questions:

Did the Trump campaign collude with the Kremlin to tip the 2016 presidential election in the Republican candidate's favor?

And has President Donald Trump tried to obstruct the investigation since taking office through actions including firing FBI Director James Comey and badgering Attorney General Jeff Sessions over his recusal from the Russia probe?

WHO HAS BEEN QUESTIONED SO FAR?

A veritable who's who of current and former White House officials, as well as foreign businessmen and top campaign and transition staffers.

Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner was questioned last fall about former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn. Trump's White House counsel, Don McGahn, has been in to see Mueller's team, as have former chief of staff Reince Priebus, former communications director Hope Hicks, former chief strategist Steve Bannon, California real estate developer and longtime Trump friend Tom Barrack _ and dozens of other witnesses.

WHO HAS BEEN CHARGED?

A total of 19 people and three Russian companies have either been indicted or pleaded guilty to criminal charges.

Among those charged are Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who is awaiting trial in Virginia and the District of Columbia, and Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty in December to lying to the FBI and has been cooperating with Mueller's investigation. Other cooperators include deputy campaign chairman Rick Gates and former campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos.

The single largest criminal case involves 13 Russians and three Russian companies, accused of conspiring together to fund a hidden but effective social media campaign to exploit American divisions on race and other hot-button topics as well as favor Trump over Clinton.

WHAT'S YET TO COME?

The biggest unresolved question is whether Trump will sit for an interview with Mueller _ and what will happen if he does not.

WHAT HAS MUELLER SAID ABOUT ALL THIS?

Absolutely nothing.

Mueller, never known at the FBI as especially gregarious or verbose, has not spoken publicly about his work since his appointment, nor is he likely to.

The only speaking his attorneys have done has been in court and through detailed charging documents.

It's unclear how much longer the investigation will last, but it's more likely than not that Mueller and his team have a sense of where they're taking the investigation.

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RESTRICTION SUMMARY: PART MANDATORY COURTESY DONALD J. TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT

SHOTLIST:

POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 13 June 2013

1. Various of then FBI Director Robert Mueller being sworn in before giving evidence to committee

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"It has been one year since Bob Mueller, the former FBI director, was appointed by the Justice Department as special counsel to investigate whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Kremlin to tip the 2016 presidential election in favor of Donald Trump."

DONALD J. TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT - MANDATORY COURTESY

Unknown Date and Location

3. Various of Donald Trump campaign ad

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"The other question emerged almost immediately after Mueller was appointed and that is did the president take actions to obstruct justice during the course of the original Russia investigation? And that stems from multiple actions that he's taken including the firing last May of FBI Director James Comey and his subsequent hectoring and badgering of Attorney General Jeff Sessions over his recusal from the Russia investigation."

HOUSE TV - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 28 September 2016

5. Mid, then FBI Director James Comey answering questions about Hillary Clinton's email case

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 30 June 2010

6. STILL Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) on Capitol Hill

TWITTER/@realDonaldTrump - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Internet - 28 February 2018

7. Screen grab of Tweet from President Donald Trump reading: "Why is A.G. Jeff Sessions asking the Inspector General to investigate potentially massive FISA abuse. Will take forever, has no prosecutorial power and already late with reports on Comey etc. Isn't the I.G. an Obama guy? Why not use Justice Department lawyers? DISGRACEFUL!"

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"In the 12 months since the appointment, it's been a busy year of multiple indictments, guilty pleas, tense court appearances, tirades on Twitter from President Donald Trump and ongoing negotiations about what's going to happen next."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 3 April 2018

9. Wide of first person to face sentencing in Mueller probe arriving to court, Alex van der Zwaan

TWITTER/@realDonaldTrump - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Internet - 15 June 2017

10. Screen grab of Tweet from President Donald Trump reading: "You are witnessing the single greatest WITCH HUNT in American political history - led by some very bad and conflicted people!  #MAGA"

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"The number of people who've been questioned is in the dozens, both before the grand jury and then privately and Mueller's offices in Washington. And it's a true who's who of boldface Washington White House big names. So we're talking about Steve Bannon, Reince Priebus Don McGahn, Hope Hicks, Stephen Miller, these are the people who were in the president's inner circle during the course of the early months of the administration."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 31 January 2017

12. Zoom of Steve Bannon standing next to Reince Priebus at White House event

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

National Harbor, Maryland - 22 February 2018

13. Various then White House Counsel Don McGahn speaks at CPAC

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 27 February 2018

14. Pan shot as White House Communications Director Hope Hicks walks past

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

New York - 19 September 2017

15. STILL Trump's senior adviser for policy, Stephen Miller, backstage as Trump speaks on United Nations

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"So far we have 19 people who have been charged. Thirteen of those are Russians, and they are Russians who are accused of participating in a hidden but very powerful social media effort to sow discord in the American public through fake and bogus Facebook ads."

FACEBOOK VIA US HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Internet - July 2016

17. Various ads allegedly created by Russian internet agency

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

18. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"So that's 13 of the 19. Then of the six others, we have the president's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who has been indicted and is awaiting trial in both Alexandria, Virginia and Washington."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Alexandria, Virginia - 8 March 2018

19. STILL Various Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, leaves Federal Courthouse

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"That includes Michael Flynn, who was the former White House national security adviser. He was effectively fired in February, pleaded guilty in December to lying to the FBI and he's been a key cooperator for Mueller ever since."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 1 December 2017

21. STILL Former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn arrives at court

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

21. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"We also have George Papadopoulos, who was a foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign. He was arrested last summer and charged with lying to the FBI."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington DC - 15 May 2018

23. Various President Trump leaving to visit First Lady Melania in the hospital

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

24. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"The American public has been really interested for months now, for a year, in hearing from Bob Mueller and hearing him speak, hearing him analyze what he's doing, hearing him describe the allegations against the people he's charged. We haven't heard any of that. There has not been a single moment where Bob Mueller, who is running the investigation and frankly is accustomed to giving news conferences as FBI director, has stood in front of a sea of cameras and addressed anyone, addressed the public, addressed the media."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Beijing - 30 January 2008

25. Various then FBI Director Robert Mueller at a news conference about the Olympics

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

26. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"The next big question that we're all waiting for is whether President Donald Trump is going to sit for an interview with Special Counsel Robert Mueller."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 22 March 2018

27. UPSOUND (English)

Reporter: "Mr. President, would you still like to testify to special counsel Robert Mueller, sir?"

Trump: "Yes, I would like to."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 16 May 2018

28. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"The question then becomes, if he chooses not to, if he refuses to, whether special counsel Mueller will issue a subpoena to try to compel his testimony and compel him to give statements that would be an extraordinary move that could result in a Supreme Court fight. Or the alternative would be to simply conclude the investigation without hearing from the person who's at the center of it, which is something frankly that prosecutors do all the time. In this case still Mueller has communicated to Trump's legal team that they really want to understand the state of mind here. A lot of the actions by themselves might not be crimes, but they need to understand what the person who was taking the action was thinking at the time they were doing it."

NETWORK POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 15 May 2018

29. Various President Trump paying tribute to police officers who died on duty

STORYLINE:

It was one year ago Thursday when Robert Mueller, the former FBI director, was appointed as special counsel to take over the Justice Department's investigation into possible coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign.

The 12 months since have yielded a flurry of criminal indictments and guilty pleas, tense court appearances, angry Twitter messages from the president _ and speculation over what the ever-taciturn Mueller already knows and what he'll investigate next.

Hundreds of pages of court filings, and public statements from witnesses, have to an extent pulled back the curtain on an extraordinarily secretive investigation. But much remains hidden from view.

A look at the last year and what may lie ahead:

WHAT IS MUELLER INVESTIGATING?

There's no doubt Mueller's investigation is far reaching, but at its core, prosecutors have remained focused on two central questions:

Did the Trump campaign collude with the Kremlin to tip the 2016 presidential election in the Republican candidate's favor?

And has President Donald Trump tried to obstruct the investigation since taking office through actions including firing FBI Director James Comey and badgering Attorney General Jeff Sessions over his recusal from the Russia probe?

WHO HAS BEEN QUESTIONED SO FAR?

A veritable who's who of current and former White House officials, as well as foreign businessmen and top campaign and transition staffers.

Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner was questioned last fall about former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn. Trump's White House counsel, Don McGahn, has been in to see Mueller's team, as have former chief of staff Reince Priebus, former communications director Hope Hicks, former chief strategist Steve Bannon, California real estate developer and longtime Trump friend Tom Barrack _ and dozens of other witnesses.

WHO HAS BEEN CHARGED?

A total of 19 people and three Russian companies have either been indicted or pleaded guilty to criminal charges.

Among those charged are Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who is awaiting trial in Virginia and the District of Columbia, and Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty in December to lying to the FBI and has been cooperating with Mueller's investigation. Other cooperators include deputy campaign chairman Rick Gates and former campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos.

The single largest criminal case involves 13 Russians and three Russian companies, accused of conspiring together to fund a hidden but effective social media campaign to exploit American divisions on race and other hot-button topics as well as favor Trump over Clinton.

WHAT'S YET TO COME?

The biggest unresolved question is whether Trump will sit for an interview with Mueller _ and what will happen if he does not.

WHAT HAS MUELLER SAID ABOUT ALL THIS?

Absolutely nothing.

Mueller, never known at the FBI as especially gregarious or verbose, has not spoken publicly about his work since his appointment, nor is he likely to.

The only speaking his attorneys have done has been in court and through detailed charging documents.

It's unclear how much longer the investigation will last, but it's more likely than not that Mueller and his team have a sense of where they're taking the investigation.

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Private tensions between Justice Department leaders and Robert Mueller's team broke into public view in extraordinary fashion Wednesday as Attorney General William Barr pushed back at the special counsel's "snitty" complaints over his handling of the Trump-Russia investigation report.

Testifying for the first time since releasing Mueller's report, Barr said he was surprised Mueller did not reach a conclusion on whether President Donald Trump had tried to obstruct justice, and that he had felt compelled to step in with his own judgment that the president had committed no crime.

Barr was also perturbed by a private letter Mueller sent him last month complaining that the attorney general had not properly portrayed the special counsel's finding.

Barr called the note "a bit snitty."

"I said 'Bob, what's with the letter? Just pick up the phone and call me if there is an issue,'" Barr said.

The airing of disagreements over the handling of the report followed Mueller's two-year investigation into Russian interference to help Trump in the 2016 campaign and the possibility that Trump's team conspired with the Russians.

During most of the investigation, the Justice Department and Mueller's team seemed to be unified in approach.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers have been anything but unified.

And their partisan divide was on full display during Wednesday's contentious Judiciary Committee hearing, which included three Democratic presidential candidates.

Some Republicans, in addition to defending Trump, focused on the president's 2016 Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton's email and campaign practices and what they argued has been a lack of investigation of them.

Democrats, for their part, moved to exploit the daylight between Barr and Mueller to attack the attorney general's credibility and accuse him of unduly spinning the special counsel's report in the president's favor.

Barr sought to minimize the rift by suggesting the special counsel's concerns were largely about process, not substance.

Barr's appearance gave him his most extensive opportunity to explain the department's actions, including his news conference held before the Mueller report's release.

Barr has also been invited to appear Thursday before the Democratic-led House Judiciary panel, but the Justice Department has said he would not testify if the committee insisted on having its lawyers question him.

Neither side broke much new ground Wednesday on the specifics of Mueller's investigation, though Barr did articulate a robust defense of Trump as he made clear his firm conviction that there was no prosecutable case against the president for obstruction of justice.

POOL

Washington DC - 1 May 2019

1. Wide, Senate Judiciary Committee

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sen. Cory Booker, Democrat - New Jersey:

"We right now have a new normal in our country. We have a document that shows over 200 hundred attempts, connections between a presidential campaign and a foreign adversary sharing information that would be illegal if you did it with a super PAC. We know that. (Barr: What information was shared?)  The polling data was shared sir. It's in the report I can cite you the page. (Barr: With who?) And I guess my point here is is that your willingness to seem to brush over this and use words like the American people should be grateful. What's in this report? Nobody should be grateful."

3. Back view of hearing

4. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General:

"Sen. Kamala Harris: Attorney General Barr has the president or anyone at the White House ever asked or suggested that you open an investigation of anyone?

Umm, I wouldn't I wouldn't.

Harris: Yes or no.

Could you repeat that question?"

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Kamala Harris, Democrat - California:

"I will repeat it. Has the president or anyone at the White House ever asked or suggested that you open an investigation of anyone? Yes or no please sir?"

6. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General:

"The president or anybody else.

Harris: Seems you'd remember something like that and be able to tell us.

Yeah but I'm trying to grapple with the words suggest. I mean there have been discussions of of matters out there that they have not asked me to open investigation but  ...

Harris: Perhaps they've suggested?

I don't know, I wouldn't say suggest.

Harris: Hinted? Inferred?"

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Kamala Harris, Democrat - California:

"Is in reaching your conclusion did you personally review all of the underlying evidence?"

8. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General:

"No. We took and  ...

Harris: Did Mr. Rosenstein?

No we accepted the statements in the report as the factual record. We did not go underneath it to see whether or not they were accurate. We accepted it as accurate."

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Kamala Harris, Democrat - California:

"As the Attorney General of the United States. You run the United States Department of Justice. If in any U.S. attorney's office around the country, the head of that office when being asked to make a critical decision about in this case the person who holds the highest office in the land and whether or not that person committed a crime, would you accept them recommending a charging decision to you if they had not reviewed the evidence?

Barr: Well that's a question for Bob Mueller. He's the U.S. attorney. He's the one who presents the report.

But it was you who made the charging decision, sir? You made the decision not to charge the president."

10. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General:

"In a pross (process) memo and then a declination memo.

Harris: You said it was your baby, what did you mean by that?

It was my baby to to let to decide whether or not to disclose it to the public

Harris: And whose decision was it? Who had the power to make the decision about whether or not the evidence was sufficient to make a determination of whether there had been an obstruction of justice?

Prosecution memos go up to the supervisor, in this case it was the the attorney general and the deputy attorney general who who decide on the final decision."

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Democrat - Minnesota:

"Mr. Attorney General, on April 27th President Trump stated 'Mueller, I assume for 35 million dollars he checked my taxes and he checked my financials.' Is that accurate? Did the special counsel review the president's taxes and the Trump Organization's financial statements?"

12. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General:

"I don't know.

Klobuchar: Can you find out if I ask later in a written question?

I, yes or you could ask Bob Mueller when he comes here.

Klobuchar: OK I'll do that too."

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Democrat - Connecticut:

"In fact in response to your question 'why not just pick up the phone,' this letter was an extraordinary act. A career prosecutor rebuking the attorney general of the United States, memorializing in writing. Right? I know of no other instance of that happening. Do you?"

14. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General:

"I don't consider Bob at this stage a career prosecutor. He's had a career as a prosecutor.

Blumenthal: Well, he's a very eminent prosecutor.

He was the head of the FBI for 12 years.

Blumenthal: He's a career a law enforcement professional, right? Yeah I know of no other instance of ...

But he was also political appointee and he was a political appointee with me at the Department of Justice. I don't know the letters a bit snitty and I think it was probably written by one of his staff people."

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Democrat - Connecticut:

"Did you make a memorandum of your conversation? Did you make a memorandum"

Barr: I didn't.

Did anyone, either you or anyone on your staff memorialize your conversation with Robert Mueller?"

16. SOUNDBITE (English) William Barr, Attorney General:

"Yes.

Blumenthal: Who did that?

Barr: There were notes taken of the call.

Blumenthal: May we have those notes?

Barr: No

Blumethal: Why not?"

Barr: Why should you have them."

16. Pan, Barr leaving hearing