Republican Strategy to Uphold the Status Quo During Testimony

The former special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, testified on Wednesday before Congress. He declared that his two-year investigation did not exonerate President Trump and that Russia would meddle again in American elections. Guest: Michael S. Schmidt, who has been covering the special counsel investigation for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.

Background reading:

• Lawmakers hunted for viral sound bites and tried to score political points, but Mr. Mueller consistently refused to accommodate them in his long-awaited appearance before Congress.
• Here are seven takeaways from the hearings.

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