Mueller’s 7-hour testimony in Congress was a large disappointment for Democrats seeking to give their impeachment drive a boost. Republicans did not succeed either in discrediting Special Counsel Robert Mueller with regard to his obstruction of justice case points in the Mueller Report.

Even more affected were the media network whose TV newscasters were already stating that Mueller’s Congressional testimony was a disaster, an hour after the 7-hour hearing started; giving Donald Trump basis to send out an early triumphant tweet that Mueller’s testimony as a disaster for Democrats.

Some Media’s Negative Portrayal of Mueller’s Congressional Testimony Overlooked a Few Things

Nearly everybody agreed with media’s description of Mueller’s Congressional testimony as less than dramatic, a disaster, a disappointment. The TV networks’ disappointment was because the live coverage fell flat in terms of expected viewer ratings. It did not fare better than their regular daily news programs. Early data coming from Nielsen Media Research showed the hearing coverage drew 13 million viewers throughout all TV networks.

Clearly, many overlooked the fact that Special Counsel Mueller had already announced during his DOJ farewell speech that if ever Congress compels him to testify, his verbal testimony will not be any different from what the Mueller Report contains.

Add the fact that before his actual appearance in the back-to-back hearings of the House Judiciary Committee and the Permanent Subcommittee on Intelligence, the Department of Justice served Mueller with a written notice to stick to the contents of the report, and nothing more.

Yet what was important to hear from the 7-hour hearing is that Mueller confirmed that his report did not lead to Trump’s exoneration over possible involvement with proven Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections. The importance of the confirmation is that it belies AG William Barr’s inference that the Mueller Report exonerated Donald Trump of any collusion with the Russians.

Mueller also affirmed that in the event Trump no longer holds office as president of the United States, he can still be charged in court for possible collusion with the Russian’s election interference activities and for acts aimed at obstructing the related investigations

Moreover, soundly testified that Russian interference in American politics is for real and is still ongoing, which he said is happening “even as we sit here”.