The House Oversight Committee is reportedly withdrawing plans to bring in former FBI Director Robert Mueller for testimony on Jeffrey Epstein cases after his family disclosed that he has Parkinson's disease.
The 81-year-old has recently experienced speech and mobility difficulties, his family told The New York Times, asking for privacy.
"Bob was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the summer of 2021," the family wrote in the statement to the Times. "He retired from the practice of law at the end of that year. He taught at his law school alma mater during the fall of both 2021 and 2022, and he retired at the end of 2022.
"His family asks that his privacy be respected."
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., had sought to compel Mueller's testimony on Epstein files and cases amid the firestorm that has mushroomed in recent months.
"During your tenure as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 2001 to 2013, the FBI investigated Jeffrey Epstein for sex crimes," Comer wrote in an Aug. 5 letter to Mueller.
"Because you were FBI director during the time when Mr. Epstein was under investigation by the FBI, the committee believes that you possess knowledge and information relevant to its investigation."
Mueller has kept a low public profile after his 2019 congressional appearance to answer for his special counsel work on the Russia-collusion investigation. His performance then was widely viewed as shaky, and he has not made public statements or given major interviews in years.
Parkinson's is a progressive neurological disorder that can cause tremors, stiffness, and slowed movement. While treatments can ease symptoms, there is no cure.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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