Robert Mueller to testify about possible obstruction by Donald Trump one week later than planned

Former special counsel Robert Mueller will testify to Congress about possible obstruction of justice by Donald Trump one week later than originally scheduled.

The decision was announced as the House Judiciary and House Intelligence Committee were deep in preparations to question Mr Mueller in what is likely to be a major political spectacle.

With extended time for Mr Mueller to testify, the back-to-back hearings, now scheduled for 24 July, are expected to be a pivotal moment in the House panels' investigations into Donald Trump.

The details of the agreement were announced by Jerrold Nadler and Adam Schiff, the chairmen of the two committees, after a day of protracted negotiations that consumed the capitol.

Under the new arrangement, Mr Mueller will testify for three hours before the House Judiciary Committee from 8:30 am, and then before the House Intelligence Committee from noon.

The former special counsel, who rose above the political fray during his investigation by not commenting on his work, is still making his appearance before lawmakers pursuant to a subpoena.

"All members - Democrats and Republicans - of both committees will have a meaningful opportunity to question the Special Counsel," the Mr Nadler and Mr Schiff said in a joint statement.

It was not immediately clear whether the two House committees had also been able to negotiate the reinstatement of a closed-door session for an hour with Mr Mueller and his deputies.

The closed-door session had earlier been abruptly cancelled, for which Democrats blamed pressure on Mr Mueller from the Justice Department to not testify. Republicans said it was never agreed.

Democrats have been seeking Mr Mueller's public testimony on Capitol Hill for months, eager to allow for him to build a case against Mr Trump over possible obstruction of justice.

The original plan for Mr Mueller's hearing was for him to testify two hours before both committees, but this format had become a point of contention for some Democrats on the Judiciary Committee.

Because of five-minute questioning rules, the limited time would have meant only the more senior Democrats would have been able to question Mr Mueller, rankling junior committee members.

The opposition from junior Democrats likely to be excluded from proceedings pushed Mr Nadler to renegotiate with a reluctant Mr Mueller and his team to extend his appearance in Congress.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday morning, Mr Trump disparaged House Democrats' push for Mr Mueller's testimony. "There's nothing Mueller can say," the president said.

The Mueller report concluded there was no conspiracy between Mr Trump's campaign and Russia to influence the results of the 2016 election but did not clear the president of obstruction.

Mr Mueller decided not to pursue an obstruction charge against Mr Trump in part because of Justice Department guidelines that prevent an indictment of a sitting president.