WATCH: Robert Mueller's Most Breathtakingly Bizarre Answer of the Whole Day

Townhall.com ^ | July 25, 2019 | Guy Benson

[Kaslin]

At the risk of beating a dead horse -- having made versions of this point in consecutive posts yesterday -- I feel compelled to share this video from the Mueller hearings.  As scintillating as the proceedings were, I did step away from watching for relatively short passages of time, and evidently missed this genuinely jaw-dropping exchange.  When I first saw the tweet below, I wondered if it could truly be an accurate representation of what occurred in the former Special Counsel's back-and-forth with a Republican Congressman.  Watch the video, and see for yourself:

Here's the video where Mueller is confused by a basic question: Did the Trump campaign help Russia w/ hacking DNC emails? Mueller says "I don't know" & claims the question falls outside his investigation, despite it being the purpose of his investigation.https://t.co/8KqAURxwKA pic.twitter.com/Ef0H06n6k6— Jerry Dunleavy (@JerryDunleavy) July 24, 2019

Rep. Brad Wenstrup, a Republican from Ohio, asked Mueller whether it was “accurate to say that your investigation found no evidence that members of the Trump campaign were involved in the theft or publication of Clinton campaign-related emails?" ...Mueller first paused and then asked Wenstrup to repeat the question, which the congressman did. Mueller paused again, and then answered, “I don't know. I don't know. Uh, uh, what they've, well, uh...um, that portion of that matter does not fall within our jurisdiction, or fall within our investigation.”

The "I don't know, " followed by the jurisdiction comment, is utterly confounding. After all, digging into the issue being discussed was at the very heart of Mueller's mandate:

In his own report, he concludes involved the Russian intelligence’s hacking of Democratic emails and their provision of those emails to Wikileaks to publish — and to what extent, if any, the Trump campaign was involved in those efforts. When then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller as special counsel on May 17, 2017, the formal appointment order said the former FBI director was picked to “ensure a full and thorough investigation of the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election” and that his top mandate was to investigate “any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump.” The subsequent scope memo from Aug. 2, 2017, again makes it clear that the question of whether the Trump campaign was involved in the Russian effort to hack or leak emails stolen from Democrats was certainly within the jurisdiction of Mueller’s investigation.

Former federal prosecutor Andy McCarthy told me yesterday that based on Mueller's performance, he doesn't believe the former FBI director truly grasped or ran the probe with which his name is so closely associated. Even if this was just one of a number of moments of confusion on Mueller's part, it does not inspire confidence in his granular, hands-on leadership of the investigation. Meanwhile, let the internal grousing and second-guessing among Democrats begin:

Here we go https://t.co/oZMTe1CbZh pic.twitter.com/1V59NwIYs5— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) July 24, 2019

It looks like the team over at the Washington Post was really, really hoping for another outcome:

Good morning from Earth 2, where the Mueller hearings weren't a complete dumpster fire pic.twitter.com/XBB3W1N33N— Michael Shapiro (@mis2127) July 25, 2019

I'll leave you with President Trump's approval rating ticking up to (+11) on the economy -- up from just (+2) a few months ago in a series of Fox News polls.  It's not hard to see why:

All 50 states grew in the first quarter of 2019, with only 4 states growing less than 2.0%. The U.S. economy is booming thanks to @RealDonaldTrump’s policies https://t.co/lEWvZag4pc #GDP pic.twitter.com/WaP4oB6LmT— Sec. Wilbur Ross (@SecretaryRoss) July 25, 2019

[dhs12345]

I know someone who has Parkinsons and they have that same mouth half open stare. Sad.

[353FMG]

When will Mueller be charged with perjury? Was he not under oath?

[Vendome]

Not guilty by reason of insanity or diminished mental capacity...

[drypowder]

Common knowledge, Mueller is a DC establishment puke, been around since Reagan was president and more than likely knows where most if not all of the skeletons are per the criminal activities of the Bushes, the Clintons and the Obozo as well as their foreign counter parts and partners. Hoping AG Barr is the true America law enforcing patriot as he appears, he could investigate some of the crimes of those four administrations. The Hillary, Obozo uranium one criminal deal for instance where Mueller is said to have personally delivered mineral samples to Russia. Re Muller’s performance yesterday, maybe it was meant for him to appear senile and incompetent in order to avert being scrutinized for his own criminal complicity with all four administrations. I have no proof but just surmising based on what is now being exposed and just how slimy a DC swamp creature, such as Robert Mueller, can be. Sounds rather tin foilish I know but if it weren’t unfolding before us, so does this ongoing DC establishment coup against President Trump.

[StAntKnee]

A guy with his supposed reputation PLAYING demented . . .

for all practical purposes . . .

IS demented.

[Chickensoup]

No, he is not demented.

But his act is changing the subject from the content to his behavior.

[bgill]

He was aware of why he was there, what was being asked, where he was, the time and exactly when to run out the clock, who was asking (despite the squirrely where ?!?!? later in the day) and what was expected of him. That’s not dementia.

[TwelveOfTwenty]

Those videos of the hearing are as fun to watch as the 2016 Election Night videos.

[depressed in 06]

The Second Law of Propaganda: The first lie is always the truth.

[YogicCowboy]

(Im-)Plausible Deniability.

[joma89]

I have zero sympathy for Mueller or any leftist who grows old and is used by his horrible, racist party.

He is the horse in Orwell’s book “Animal Farm”. We should just start calling him Director “Boxer” Mueller. He is the stupid horse who believed the pigs would take care of him as opposed to the farmer that had been driven off the farm. But Boxer dies pulling the plow in the field having never retired as promised by the pigs.

JoMa

[jmacusa]

Thank you. Every thing alright in the English grammar section? :-)

[jmacusa]

My sympathies to your friend. As I said I've worked in three nursing homes. I've seen that stare, incoherent speech, yelling, talking to invisible friends and deceased family members. But I've seen smiles, joy and I have bought smiles and laughter to many residents, listened to their life stories, especially the WW2 vets. It's heart breaking at times but it's also rewarding.

[jmacusa]

Poor Boxer was the metaphor for the hapless, starry eyed dupes who buy into the promise of the socialist utopia right to the moment, as Orwell wrote in “1984” when the bullet goes right into the back of your head.

[Windflier]

You’re welcome!

[dhs12345]

Thank you. The medicines have improved greatly over the years and have extended people’s lives.

Most of us will live to an old age where these problems are common. Parts wear out. It is humbling to know that you might be sitting in that chair someday mumbling and talking about deceased family members.

Sounds like you do great work. Keep it up and thank you. :)