The House Oversight Committee has withdrawn a request for testimony from Robert Mueller about the case involving convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein due to new information on the former special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 The Committee has withdrawn its subpoena,” the aide said in a statement.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.

  • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    2 days ago

    Not trying to be callous, but does simply having Parkinson’s allow you to ignore subpoenas? Nothing about how advanced it is or anything.

    How convenient for them.

    • logicbomb@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      They didn’t simply learn that Mueller has Parkinson’s. They learned it in the context that his family is asking them to take back the subpoena because he has Parkinson’s.

      And they are not ignoring the subpoena. A subpoena is a legal process that can be challenged. By responding to the subpoena and giving reason complying is difficult, they are not ignoring it. It is being rescinded.

      They likely did some more communication behind the scenes about the severity of the diagnosis. It wouldn’t be odd if the family is asking for a certain degree of privacy.