The House Oversight Committee has withdrawn a request for testimony from Robert Mueller about the case involving convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein due to new information on the former special counsel’s health, a committee aide told CBS News.

“We’ve learned that Mr. Mueller has health issues that preclude him from being able to testify. The Committee has withdrawn its subpoena,” the aide said in a statement.

Mueller, who led the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and delivered the long-anticipated report in March 2019, served as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for 12 years. The New York Times reported Sunday that the 81-year-old has Parkinson’s disease, according to his family, who told the paper that he was diagnosed in 2021.

  • floo@retrolemmy.com
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    16 hours ago

    “This committee is very sorry to hear that Mr. Mueller is too sick to face our bullshit allegations… we will continue to imply and insinuate that he is a liar and a traitor, however, especially now that he is in no condition to defend himself.”

    • AirBreather@lemmy.world
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      16 hours ago

      “This committee is very sorry to hear that Mr. Mueller is too sick to face our bullshit allegations…”

      ? What bullshit allegations? The article says that this is the subpoena that they are dropping:

      “Because you were FBI Director during the time when Mr. Epstein was under investigation by the FBI, the Committee believes that you possess knowledge and information relevant to its investigation,” committee chairman James Comer wrote in an Aug. 5 letter to Mueller, directing him to appear for deposition on Sept. 2.

      To me, this sounds more like “oh noooo, I guess we can’t get any more details about the Epstein stuff, better luck next time”.

      I’ll leave it to someone else to speculate over whether or not they think that he would get the same treatment if the subpoena were to testify over other matters.

      • dhork@lemmy.world
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        16 hours ago

        I’ll leave it to someone else to speculate over whether or not they think that he would get the same treatment if the subpoena were to testify over other matters.

        Sure, I’ll bite. If he’s as far gone as it seems, Republicans do themselves no favors by calling him to testify on any matter whatsoever. Although most Republicans disdain empathy altogether now, there is still room in their cold hearts for feelings about people they know personally. And far too many people know the pain of having an elderly loved one succumb to dementia or Parkinson’s.

        For the time being, at least, even Republicans are accountable to voters, and the last thing they want is televised hearings where they are beating up on an old man who reminds everyone of their own grandpa after they had to put him in the home. Images like that are one of the few things that can turn a voting base quickly.