Mueller says Russian election interference has been 'underplayed'

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."

He said that it could cause "long term damage" to the United States and that "we need to move quickly to address" the matter.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up

For some, the moment served as a breakthrough for the Democrats and Mueller after hours of what's been considered a lackluster performance since the House Judiciary Committee's questioning earlier in the day. Tim O'Donnell