WASHINGTON — Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, will appear on Capitol Hill on Wednesday for two highly anticipated hearings about his yearslong investigation.
The day kicks off at 8:30 a.m. Eastern for a three-hour hearing with the House Judiciary Committee. A second session, with the House Intelligence Committee, should start around noon and last about two hours. The New York Times will stream Mr. Mueller’s testimony, and our reporters will provide live context and analysis.
The Democratic chairmen of the two committees, Representatives Jerrold Nadler of New York and Adam B. Schiff of California, will set the tone and lead the questioning for both sessions. But Republicans are preparing to try to counter them, led by Representatives Doug Collins of Georgia and Devin Nunes of California, with an assist from Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, one of the most vocal critics of the Russia investigation.
Here’s what we expect:
Mr. Mueller is expected summarize the key findings of his investigation in his opening statement.
His team found that Russia carried out a sophisticated operation during the 2016 election to sow chaos in the American political system and aid the Trump campaign. Investigators ultimately determined that they lacked sufficient evidence to charge any Trump associate with conspiring with Russia. Investigators also documented Mr. Trump’s efforts to hinder their work. Citing Justice Department guidelines against indicting sitting presidents, they declined to decide whether his efforts amounted to criminal obstruction of justice.
Mr. Mueller is expected to hew closely to his report.
The Democrats want Mr. Mueller to bring to life the most serious acts of possible obstruction in the report.
They believe that many Americans lack a full understanding of Mr. Trump’s efforts to impede the inquiry and that Mr. Mueller’s recounting of it will leave an impression on voters. They may also try to push the taciturn Mr. Mueller to more clearly state whether Mr. Trump could have been charged with obstruction if not for the Justice Department guidelines.
The Republicans want to focus on parts of the report they view as beneficial to the president.
Namely, they will highlight Mr. Mueller’s decision not to charge anyone with conspiracy.
But they have a litany of other questions about the investigation itself, beginning with its length. Republicans disagree about how hard to go after Mr. Mueller, but intend to ask about potential anti-Trump bias in the F.B.I. and among prosecutors on his team, several of whom worked for or donated to Democratic causes, and the questioning could get combative.
The big question: Can Mueller turbocharge impeachment?
No topic will hang over Wednesday’s hearings quite like impeachment. Mr. Mueller’s testimony may be a make-or-break moment for the wish of some liberals to try to oust Mr. Trump from office.
About 90 House Democrats already support opening an impeachment inquiry based on Mr. Mueller’s findings, as well as the president’s role in a hush payment scheme during the 2016 campaign and other matters. Compelling testimony by Mr. Mueller could renew momentum behind the effort.