>> THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN.
MR. MUELLER FIRST LET ME ASK
UNANIMOUS CONSENT, MR.
CHAIRMAN, TO SUBMIT THIS
ARTICLE ROBERT MUELLER UNMASKED
FOR THE RECORD.
>> WITHOUT OBJECTION.
>> NOW, MR. MUELLER, WHO WROTE
THE NINE-MINUTE COMMENTS YOU
READ AT YOUR MAY 29th PRESS
CONFERENCE?
>> I'M NOT GOING TO GET INTO
THAT.
>> OKAY.
THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT.
YOU DIDN'T WRITE IT.
A 2013 PUFF PIECE IN THE
WASHINGTON ABOUT COMEY SAID
BASICALLY WHEN COMEY CALLED YOU
WOULD DROP EVERYTHING YOU WERE
DOING.
GAVE EXAMPLES YOU WERE HAVING
DINNER YOUR WIFE AND DAUGHTER.
COMEY CALLS AND YOU DROP
EVERYTHING AND GO.
THE ARTICLE QUOTED COMEY AS
SAYING IF A TRAIN WERE COMING
DOWN THE TRACK AND I QUOTE AT
LEAST BOB MUELLER WILL BE
STANDING ON THE TRACKS WITH ME.
YOU AND JAMES COMEY HAVE BEEN
GOOD FRIENDS AND WERE GOOD
FRIENDS FOR MANY YEARS, CORRECT?
>> WE WERE BUSINESS ASSOCIATES.
WE BOTH STARTED OFF IN THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT.
>> YOU WERE GOOD FRIENDS.
YOU CAN WORK TOGETHER AND NOT
BE FRIENDS BUT YOU AND COMEY
WERE FRIENDS.
>> WE WERE FRIENDS.
>> THAT'S MY QUESTION.
THANK YOU FOR GETTING TO THE
ANSWER.
BEFORE YOU WERE APPOINTED AS
SPECIAL COUNSEL, HAD YOU TALKED
TO JAMES COMEY IN THE PRECEDING
SIX MONTHS?
>> NO.
>> WHEN YOU WERE APPOINTED AS
SPECIAL COUNSEL, WAS PRESIDENT
TRUMP'S FIRING OF COMEY
SOMETHING YOU ANTICIPATED
INVESTIGATING POTENTIALLY
OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE.
>> I CAN'T GET INTO THAT.
THAT'S INTERNAL DELIBERATIONS
IN THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT.
>> IT GOES TO YOUR CREDIBILITY
AND MAYBE YOU'VE BEEN AWAY FROM
THE COURTROOM FOR AWHILE.
CREDIBILITY IS ALWAYS MATERIAL.
YOU ARE A WITNESS BEFORE US.
WHEN YOU TALKED TO PRESIDENT
TRUMP THE DAY BEFORE YOU WERE
APPOINTED AS SPECIAL COUNSEL,
YOU WERE TALKING TO HIM ABOUT
F.B.I. DIRECTOR POSITION AGAIN.
DID HE MENTION THE FIRING OF
JAMES COMEY?
>> NOT AS A CANDIDATE.
I WAS ASKED --
>> DID HE MENTION THE FIRING OF
JAMES COMEY IN YOUR DISCUSSION
WITH HIM?
>> CANNOT REMEMBER.
CANNOT REMEMBER.
I DON'T BELIEVE SO.
>> YOU DON'T REMEMBER.
BUT IF HE DID, YOU COULD HAVE
BEEN A FACT WITNESS AS TO THE
PRESIDENT'S COMMENTS AND STATE
OF MIND ON FIRING JAMES COMEY.
>> I SUPPOSE THAT'S POSSIBLE.
>> YEAH.
SO MOST PROSECUTORS WANT TO
MAKE SURE THERE WAS NO
APPEARANCE OF IMPROPRIETY BUT
IN YOUR CASE YOU HIRED A BUNCH
OF PEOPLE THAT DID NOT LIKE THE
PRESIDENT.
LET ME ASK YOU, WHEN DID YOU
FIRST LEARN OF PETER STRZOK'S
ANIMUS TOWARD DONALD TRUMP.
>> IN THE SUMMER OF 2017.
>> YOU DIDN'T KNOW BEFORE HE
WAS HIRED?
>> I'M SORRY.
>> YOU DIDN'T KNOW BEFORE HE
WAS HIRED FOR YOUR TEAM?
>> KNOW WHAT?
>> PETER STRZOK HATED TRUMP.
YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT BEFORE HE
WAS MADE PART OF YOUR TEAM, IS
THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING?
>> I DID NOT KNOW THAT.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WHEN DID YOU --
>> AND WHEN I DID FIND OUT I
ACTED SWIFTLY TO HAVE HIM
REASSIGNED ELSEWHERE.
>> THERE IS SOME DISCUSSION
ABOUT HOW SWIFT THAT WAS.
WHEN DID YOU LEARN ABOUT THE
ONGOING AFFAIR HE WAS HAVING
WITH LISA PAGE?
>> ABOUT THE SAME TIME I
LEARNED ABOUT STRZOK.
>> DID YOU EVER ORDER ANYBODY
TO INVESTIGATE THE DELETION OF
ALL OF THEIR TEXTS OFF OF THEIR
GOVERNMENT PHONES?
>> ONCE WE FOUND THAT PETER
STRZOK WAS AUTHOR OF --
>> DID YOU EVER -- YOU'RE NOT
ANSWERING MY QUESTION.
DID YOU ORDER AN INVESTIGATION
INTO THE DELETION AND
REFORMATTING OF THEIR
GOVERNMENT PHONES?
>> NO, THERE WAS AN I.G.
INVESTIGATION ONGOING.
>> REGARDING COLLUSION OR
CONSPIRACY, YOU DIDN'T FIND
EVIDENCE OF ANY AGREEMENT --
I'M QUOTING YOU -- AMONG THE
TRUMP CAMPAIGN OFFICIALS AND
RUSSIAN OFFICIALS FOR THE U.S.
ELECTION, CORRECT?
>> CORRECT.
>> YOU ALSO NOTE IN THE REPORT
THAT AN ELEMENT OF ANY OF THOSE
OBSTRUCTIONS YOU REFERENCED
REQUIRES A CORRUPT STATE OF
MIND, CORRECT?
>> CORRUPT INTENT, CORRECT.
>> RIGHT.
AND IF SOMEBODY KNOWS THEY DID
NOT CONSPIRE WITH ANYBODY FROM
RUSSIA TO AFFECT THE ELECTION
AND THEY SEE THE BIG JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT WITH PEOPLE THAT
HATE THAT PERSON COMING AFTER
THEM AND THEN A SPECIAL COUNSEL
APPOINTED WHO HIRES DOZEN OR
MORE PEOPLE THAT HATE THAT
PERSON, AND HE KNOWS HE IS
INNOCENT, HE IS NOT CORRUPTLY
ACTING IN ORDER TO SEE THAT
JUSTICE IS DONE.
WHAT HE IS DOING THE NOT
OBSTRUCTING JUSTICE, HE IS
PURSUING JUSTICE AND THE FACT
THAT YOU RAN IT OUT TWO YEARS