“I’d be amazed if even 1 percent of the American people have read the Mueller report, in part or in its entirety,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.). “We have to catch up the American people any way we can.”

The best way to catch them up, of course, is for Mueller to testify publicly. He is best positioned to set the record straight. Rather than having Trump or Barr or any number of lickspittle Republicans in Congress offer their interpretation of Mueller’s findings to the public, Mueller himself could explain precisely what he found, and precisely why he made the key decisions he did. Americans who haven’t read the report for themselves could at least see and hear the person who created it, briefly, and judge accordingly.

Mueller is right about one thing: An appearance before Congress would become a political spectacle. But if you’re going to investigate a presidential administration in the 21st century, “political spectacle” is part of the job description. It won’t be comfortable for him. It probably won’t be comfortable for the president either — he is reportedly terrified at the prospect of the special counsel testifying before a live television audience.