Mueller Speaks. Again.
On Wednesday, July 24, 2019 former Special Counsel Robert Mueller testified before the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees regarding his 448 page Report on investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, Trump campaign officials collusion with Russia, and President Trump’s subsequent attempts to obstruct justice by curtailing or stopping the investigation. Mueller has been a frequent guest on Capitol Hill, testifying there many dozens of times in his thirty-plus year career.
But the 89th visit was not the charm, as they say. Mueller appeared at times confused, halting, unfamiliar with the Report’s contents, and terse in his replies, unwilling to go beyond the facts to discuss conclusions. There seems to be some mental deterioration in process for Mueller, a sad situation all too commonly encountered with age, which supporters of the President pounced upon with glee in the aftermath of his testimony.
Although the performance was not one likely to invigorate the push for the impeachment of Donald J. Trump, Muller repeated and verified the salient facts of his investigation: Russian interference in the 2016 election was extensive and determined, and continues today; the interference was in favor of Candidate Trump, and while criminal conspiracy could not be established, the Trump Campaign welcomed and encouraged their involvement, with more than 140 contacts; indicting the President was never an option for investigators, based on internal Justice Department policy, but the investigation did not exonerate Trump, as he and AG Barr have erroneously and falsely asserted for months since the Report’s release; and the President can be charged with crimes of obstruction of justice once he has left office. Mueller also confirmed that, contrary to Trump’s frequent assertions, the investigation was not a “Witch Hunt”. All in all, pretty damning testimony, however undramatic its delivery, and the crows of exultant delight by Trump sycophants in the aftermath were ill-judged.
The Mueller testimony was a high tech affair, with large screens illustrating key passages of the Report, but those were the only dramatics in evidence, as a low-key Mueller murmured his way through the hearings. Neptune in a Grand Cross with Roberta, Mueller and Jupiter may have contributed to the former Special Counsel’s somnolent reserve, and established the essentially political nature of the proceedings
As always, the skies reflected the terrestrial realities. When Robert Mueller was initially sworn for his testimony at 8:42 AM EDT in Washington, asteroid Roberta, a feminine form of “Robert”, was at 14 Virgo, about to rise on the 2 Virgo Ascendant, opposing asteroid Askalaphus, the witness, at 6 Pisces on the Descendant, also conjoined asteroid House at 8 Pisces, establishing the US House of Representatives as the venue. Neptune is here also, at 18 Pisces, perhaps helping to explain Mueller’s lack of enthusiasm and apparent confusion with some of the questions or lack of clarity in his answers. Exact with Roberta is asteroid Memoria, Latin for memory, which did seem to be an issue for the former Special Counsel; perhaps Neptune opposed Memoria for the day is all we need to understand his hesitant, sometimes stumbling performance.
Forming a Grand Cross with this basic polarity is asteroid Mueller at 19 Gemini, opposed Jupiter at 15 Sagittarius, ruling politics as well as the Judiciary Committee. Exact with Mueller are asteroids Astraea, noted for being a proponent of justice, and Industria, representing a strong work ethic and tireless efforts toward a goal, in much the way Mueller remained focused on his extensive investigation for two years, making no public commentary until after its close.
House Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler was in the thick of the hearings, as exhibited by asteroid Jerold in a Grand Cross with the Moon, Mercury, and Saturn/Pluto
The Moon at 25 Aries formed a T-Square with a Venus/Mercury retrograde conjunction at 25 and 26 Cancer, also incorporating asteroid Whitehouse at 21 Cancer (all of which straddled the President’s natal Saturn/Karma/Venus conjunction at 23 and 25 Cancer) and Pluto at 21 Capricorn. We see here a public (Moon) response (Mercury), in a rather soft-spoken (Venus/Mercury) manner, to allegations of criminal activity (Pluto) by the President (Whitehouse). The broad inclusion in this pattern of Saturn, exact with asteroid Troemper (our celestial referent for Trump) at 16 Capricorn shows the President (Troemper) under extreme pressure (Saturn), criticized and called to account for his actions (both Saturn). Saturn/Troemper also exactly opposes Trump’s natal asteroid Nemesis at 16 Cancer, a point of self-undoing and ruin, although transit Venus’ conjunction with his Saturn, and imminent Return to its natal degree, establishes the period as generally favorable for Trump and his career, helping to explain the lack of renewed public outcry against him in the wake of Mueller’s testimony. The Judiciary Committee is chaired by Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), and asteroid Jerold at 19 Libra transforms this pattern into a Grand Cross.
After a low-key performance in the morning, Mueller seemed to warm to his task during his testimony on Russian interference for the House Intelligence Committee that afternoon. Sworn a second time at 1:07 PM EDT, the Moon has shifted to 27 Aries, now angular on the 25 Aries Descendant, closely squared the 29 Cancer Midheaven and T-Squared asteroid Veritas, Latin for “truth”, at 29 Libra. Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) chairs the Intel Committee, and elicited better, more engaged responses from Mueller, perhaps aided by the presence of asteroids Adam and Schiff at 18 and 24 Virgo, conjoined Roberta and bridging the gap from it to asteroid America at 25 Virgo. These also square asteroid Washingtonia, the capital, at 27 Gemini; this aspect of conflict between the government (Washingtonia) and the country (America) is illustrated by the rejection in the Senate of two bills which would fund increased security for the 2020 elections, within hours of Mueller’s testimony about ongoing Russian interference.
House Intel Chair Adam Schiff may have made the most national impact at the hearings, with asteroids Adam and Schiff conjoined America and T-squared Washingtonia and Neptune
With asteroid Roberts at 9 Taurus conjoined Uranus at 6, we might have expected a more incendiary, shocking or energetic performance from Robert Mueller. Indeed, in any previous administration, his testimony would have been shocking enough, but the bar on presidential impropriety and malign malfeasance has been so lowered under Trump, for so long, that even the sensational facts revealed that day created barely a ripple in the body politic. Nevertheless, in the following few days, several more House members signed on in favor of Trump’s impeachment, bringing the total to nearly half the caucus.
Will that be enough? Time, and the stars, will tell.
