Stefanik echoes fellow Republicans in Mueller questioning

Rep. Elise Stefanik, the only New York Republican to probe former Special Counsel Robert Mueller on Wednesday, followed the GOP party line as she calmly questioned Mueller about the Steele dossier.

Rep. Elise Stefanik also asking about the Steele dossier. pic.twitter.com/mBOI8SmDTc

— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) July 24, 2019

Stefanik asked Mueller if he had any access to the dossier, if his team had tried to verify the information contained within the dossier, and if his team attempted to identify or reach out to any sources included in the dossier. Mueller declined to answer nearly all of Stefanik’s questions, stating that he was unable to discuss any materials reviewed by his team during their investigation. 

Republicans on the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees – Stefanik sits on the latter – have been asking Mueller throughout the day about the genesis of his investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and whether or not he believes the Steele dossier is accurate. A key part of their apparent questioning strategy was to assess the legitimacy of the former special counsel’s investigation by asking about any influence the dossier may have had on it. But Mueller remained obstinate as ever, refusing to answer any questions pertaining to the dossier.

Authored by former British intelligence agent Christopher Steele, the 35-page dossier of memos assembled by the research firm Fusion GPS, allege that President Donald Trump’s campaign worked with the Russian government to secure his victory in the 2016 presidential election. 

It is a widespread belief among Republicans that the Steele dossier – which was funded in part by Hillary Clinton and the D.N.C. – is what prompted Mueller’s Russia investigation to begin with. (Though, a boozy conversation between a low-level Trump aide and an Australian diplomat is actually what prompted the investigation, according to the New York Post.)