M.S. W. Media.

This week, Special Counsel Robert Mueller made his first public statement since his appointment.

In the statement, he highlighted parts of his report that had been distorted by Attorney General Bill Barr.

Mueller chose his words carefully, but at one point he seemed to suggest that the ball was now in Congress's court.

Nonetheless, Mueller's cautious statements

frustrated some Democrats who wanted him to speak more directly. Mueller

expressed his desire not to testify before Congress at all.

What should we make of Mueller's statement?

Why didn't he go beyond his report and what will happen next.

Let's get on topic. Welcome to On Topic, a weekly in-depth look at a topic that helps us understand the week's news.

My name is Renato Mariati.

I'm a former federal prosecutor, a practicing lawyer, and a CNN legal analyst.

And I'm joined by my friend Patty Vasquez, a WGM radio host who will join us regularly

on this podcast.

You know, Patty, I have to say it was really something to see Robert Mueller up there after all this time.

It was so unexpected too because we didn't hear about this till one 30 minutes an hour

or so before he was supposed to go up there we're not I heard about it after it

happened I as you know I work overnight since sometimes I don't go to bed till about

five or six in the morning.

So I woke up to people tweeting me, here comes or texting and I, yeah, I kind of had to watch the

aftermath of it.

And I, but I have to ask you, Renatoato as somebody who knows much more about this than most of us do

...