GOP Rep. John Ratcliffe's intense Mueller questioning may have been an audition for President Trump


Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) might have some career ambitions on his mind.
Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller testified for the House on Wednesday, largely deferring questions from both parties back to his report on Russian interference in the 2016 election. That deference lead Ratcliffe to go on a rant against Mueller, intensely asking him to name a time when an "investigated person was not exonerated because their innocence was not conclusively determined."
Ratcliffe's questioning pertained to the second half of Mueller's report, which outlined several instances where President Trump may have tried to obstruct Mueller's probe but did not recommend that Trump be charged with obstruction of justice. Mueller has repeatedly said that his report did not exonerate Trump of obstruction, prompting Ratcliffe to speak for much of his allotted time on why he thought Mueller was wrong.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
While other members of the House Judiciary Committee are known for their grandstanding questioning during hearings, Ratcliffe isn't one of them. But as Politico's Natasha Bertrand pointed out during the hearing, Ratcliffe "is among the names being floated for Director of National intelligence. A recent Axios report indicated Trump is "eager" to fire current director Dan Coats, suggesting Ratcliffe is trying to get on Trump's good side.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Groypers: the alt-right group pulled into the foreground
The Explainer The network is led by alt-right activist Nick Fuentes
-
10 concert tours to see this upcoming fall
The Week Recommends Concert tour season isn't over. Check out these headliners.
-
How to put student loan payments on pause
The Explainer If you are starting to worry about missing payments, deferment and forbearance can help
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants