Mueller should not testify before Congress: Trump

US President Donald Trump has reversed course, saying Special Counsel Robert Mueller should not testify before Congress just two days after he said that Attorney General William Barr should make that decision.

In a series of tweets on Sunday, the President said Mueller should not appear before the House Judiciary Committee and questioned why the Democratically-controlled committee would need the Special Counsel's testimony after concluding his two-year investigation into allegations of collusion between Russian operatives and Trump associates during the 2016 presidential campaign and transition, CNN reported.

"Are they looking for a redo because they hated seeing the strong no collusion conclusion? There was no crime, except on the other side (incredibly not covered in the report), and no obstruction," he wrote, adding: "No redos for the Dems!"

On Friday, the President, when asked by reporters at the White House about Mueller potentially testifying, said that Barr should determine whether or not Mueller would provide congressional testimony. "I don't know. That's up to our attorney general, who I think has done a fantastic job."

Trump's Sunday tweet came hours after House Judiciary member David Cicilline told Fox News that the committee has reached a "tentative date" of May 15 for Mueller to testify, though he later clarified that the date for the appearance had not yet been finalised.

"Just to clarify: we are aiming to bring Mueller in on the 15th, but nothing has been agreed to yet," the Rhode Island Democrat tweeted later. "That's the date the Committee has proposed, and we hope the Special Counsel will agree to it. Sorry for the confusion."

Mueller's appearance before the committee would allow lawmakers to hear from the special counsel on the investigation he spearheaded, CNN said.

The Department of Justice released a redacted version of the special counsel's long awaited findings last month.

--IANS

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