Mueller says Russian election interference has been 'underplayed'

Robert Mueller.
(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller testified before Congress on Wednesday that Russian interference in the 2016 presidential was "absolutely" not a hoax, as President Trump has argued in the past. That's not surprising — Mueller's report on his office's investigation into the matter was clear about the severity of the interference.

But what came after added a jolt to the hearing. After affirming to Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) that the interference was legitimate, Mueller said, unprompted, that the interference aspect of the investigation has been "underplayed."

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.