US President Donald Trump has said that Special Counsel Robert Mueller "should not testify" before Congress on his Russia election meddling inquiry.
The comments set up a confrontation with Democrats who are already irate over what they view as an increasingly brazen administration stone-walling.
Donald Trump's statement represented a reversal; he had said two days earlier that he would leave the matter up to Attorney General William Barr, who had raised no objection to Mr Mueller testifying.
"There was no crime, except on the other side (incredibly not covered in the Report), and NO OBSTRUCTION. Bob Mueller should not testify," President Trump tweeted.
The report cited 10 "episodes" of potential obstruction of justice by the president, but it offered no verdict on whether he should be charged.
Jerry Nadler, the Democratic chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has invited Mueller to appear before the panel "no later than 23 May" to testify about the findings of his 22-month-long investigation.
Mr Trump's comment might have been prompted by a remark earlier on Sunday from a Democratic member of the committee, David Cicilline, who said on Fox News that Mr Mueller was tentatively set to testify on 15 May.
Mr Cicilline later stepped back from that, tweeting that "nothing has been agreed to yet".
