The Department of Justice on Wednesday sent a letter to former Special Counsel Robert Mueller. The letter provides Mueller with guidance for the scope of his testimony about the Russia investigation before the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees scheduled for later this week, Fox News reported.
Mueller previously said that he had no interest in testifying before Congress, that his full report was his testimony and that "any testimony from this office would not go beyond our report."
"It contains findings and analysis, and the reasons for the decisions were made. We chose those words carefully, and the work speaks for itself. The report is my testimony," Mueller previously said during a press conference. "I would not provide information beyond that which is already public in any appearance before Congress."
According to Associate Deputy Attorney General Bradley Weinsheimer, the author of the letter, the DOJ agrees with Mueller's previous statement.
"As the Attorney General [William Barr] has repeatedly stated, the decision to testify before Congress is yours to make in this case, but the Department agrees with your stated position that your testimony should be unnecessary under the circumstances," Weinsheimer wrote.
The DOJ reminded Mueller that his testimony should not discuss the redacted information, which includes grand jury testimony.
"Finally, any testimony must remain within the boundaries of your public report because matters within the scope of your investigation were covered by executive privilege, including information protected by law enforcement, deliberative process, attorney work product, and presidential communications privileges," Weinsheimer wrote. "These privileges would include discussions about investigative steps or decisions made during your investigation not otherwise described in the public version of your report. Consistent with standard practice, Department witnesses should decline to address potentially privileged matters, thus affording the Department the full opportunity at a later date to consider particular questions and possible accommodations that may fulfill the committees' legitimate need for information while protecting Executive Branch confidentiality interests."
Here's the full letter:
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