Robert Mueller will appear grudgingly before House committees this month, but the former special prosecutor's testimony is the best chance Democrats have to revive their stymied probes of U.S. President Donald Trump.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's resistance to a politically risky impeachment inquiry leaves six committees pursuing Trump-related inquiries without a clear mission. And a White House order that current and former officials refuse to testify, or limit their testimony, has deprived Democrats of big-name witnesses.
It's a predicament that has left lawmakers frustrated and has driven some to sarcasm. "As we speak, I have three people in the basement training on how to work the rack," said Rep. Gerald Connolly of Virginia. "And I've got another team that is (an) expert, I am told, at pulling off fingernails.'