Sept. 1 (UPI) — Former special counsel Robert Mueller will not testify this week before a congressional committee on the Jeffrey Epstein document saga due to Mueller’s worsening health conditions related to Parkinson’s disease.
The Republican-led House Oversight Committee on Sunday withdrew its official request for Mueller to give scheduled testimony on Tuesday as part of the committee’s widened investigation into the court files of convicted sex-trafficker Epstein.
“We’ve learned that Mr. Mueller has health issues that preclude him from being able to testify,” read a committee statement.
He was subpoenaed by Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., relating to the now 81-year-old’s former role leading the FBI’s top brass.
Mueller’s family told The New York Times the former FBI head was battling Parkinson’s and that he would not be able to appear due to its growing effects.
“Bob was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the summer of 2021,” his family told the Times in a statement.
They went on the say that Mueller retired from private law practice at the end of 2021 before teaching at his law school alma mater until his official retirement in fall 2022.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the nerve-damaging Parkinson’s causes parts of the brain to weaken, “become damaged, and die, leading to symptoms that include problems with movement, tremor, stiffness,” impaired balance, and difficulty talking and walking as symptoms progress.
Mueller, who served both Republican and Democratic presidents as FBI chief from 2001 to 2013, led the nearly two-year $32 million investigation into claims of Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
Meanwhile, the subcommittee approved the depositions of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Others also targeted for subpoenas include former FBI Director James Comey and former U.S. Attorney Generals Eric Holder, Loretta Lynch, Albert Gonzales and Jeff Sessions.
On Sunday, Mueller’s family asked that “his privacy be respected.”
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