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WASHINGTON, July 24-- Former special counsel Robert Mueller on Wednesday testified before Congress for more than six hours about his nearly two-year investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and whether Donald Trump had obstructed justice after taking office. Though Mueller's testimony to two House committees expectedly offered no new revelations, his appearance was enough to ignite a new episode of partisan quarrel. In his opening statement to the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday morning, Mueller defended the integrity of the wide-ranging probe, which Trump and his political allies have repeatedly called a "hoax" or a political "witch hunt." Mueller, who answered most questions with short sentences, reiterated that his 448-page investigative report did not exonerate Trump of obstructing justice, but made clear that he would not say if the president committed a crime. "Based on Justice Department policy and principles of fairness, we decided we would not make a determination as to whether the president committed a crime. That was our decision then and it remains our decision today," Mueller told lawmakers. While citing Justice Department rules that he could not prosecute a sitting president, Mueller also suggested that Trump could face legal hurdles after leaving the White House. Trump, who has renewed his attacks on Mueller's investigation, told reporters at the White House on Wednesday afternoon that the inquiry created a "phony cloud" over his administration and called Wednesday's hearings "all non-sense." | 
