Ex-FBI leaders to testify on Mueller report, Russian threat

House Democrats angling to spotlight damning allegations from special counsel Robert Mueller's report are focusing Wednesday on contacts between Donald Trump's presidential campaign and Russia.

The House Intelligence Committee has invited two former leaders of the FBI's national security branch to testify about the counterintelligence implications of Mueller's investigation.

Both ex-FBI officials, Robert Anderson and Stephanie Douglas, retired from the bureau before it launched its investigation into the Trump campaign in summer 2016. By inviting them instead of agents involved in the investigation, Democrats are giving center stage to career officials more likely to be seen as neutral.

It is unclear whether Republicans will seek to undermine the credibility of the witnesses, or merely try to minimize their testimony by noting that they weren't part of the investigation.