Washington (CNN)The Justice Department on Wednesday appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel to oversee the federal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, including potential collusion between Trump campaign associates and Russian officials.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller to the position in a letter obtained by CNN. Attorney General Jeff Sessions previously recused himself from any involvement in the Russia investigation due to his role as a prominent campaign adviser and surrogate.
As special counsel, Mueller is “authorized to prosecute federal crimes arising from the investigation of these matters,” according to the Justice Department order Rosenstein signed.
Mueller’s appointment aims to quell the wave of criticism that President Donald Trump and his administration have faced since Trump fired FBI Director James Comey last week in the middle of the FBI’s intensifying investigation into contacts between Trump campaign associates and Russian officials. That criticism swelled on Tuesday evening as excerpts of a memo Comey wrote in February surfaced, in which Comey writes Trump asked him to drop the FBI investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
That news intensified demands from Democrats on Capitol Hill for the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel or prosecutor to oversee the case. Republicans on Tuesday evening began to join those calls.
“In my capacity as acting attorney general, I determined that it is in the public interest for me to exercise my authority and appoint a Special Counsel to assume responsibility for this matter,” Rosenstein said in a statement, adding that the decision is “not a finding that crimes have been committed or that any prosecution is warranted.”
https://twitter.com/tedlieu/status/865772627469754368
https://twitter.com/Independent/status/865676301809700864
https://twitter.com/RepDonBeyer/status/865649018457645056
https://twitter.com/NickRiccardi/status/865708752745504773
https://twitter.com/CNNPolitics/status/865690082677846016
https://twitter.com/CNN/status/865690033709305857
OversightDems got receipts!
https://twitter.com/OversightDems/status/865538577693777920
https://twitter.com/oregonvt/status/865676909941739520
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/865664602184466434
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/865666199115280384
#Russia Two bombshells dropped one after another. @nytimes & @washingtonpost! It’s on & poppin
https://twitter.com/make5calls/status/865652685940203520
https://twitter.com/gregpmiller/status/865648956973301760
https://twitter.com/gregpmiller/status/865644231108382720
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/865606120416485377
https://twitter.com/thehill/status/865230311445196800
https://twitter.com/thehill/status/865236549981667331
https://twitter.com/JakeSherman/status/865222709768335360
https://twitter.com/LouiseMensch/status/865220664353054720
Well. Well. And hear we are with breaking news about @SpeakerRyan caught on tape.
http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/national/read-the-transcript-of-the-conversation-among-gop-leaders-obtained-by-the-post/2437/
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/865014245209014272
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/865013433917468673
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/865024757074452481
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/865013433917468673
Dan Rather says today is when the damn broke
Maddow says NYT has named that Special Prosecutor in Virginia against Flynn – this guy’s specialty?
ESPIONAGE
https://twitter.com/brhodes/status/865011319983833089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheobamadiary.com%2F2017%2F05%2F17%2Fchat-away-915%2F
Trump Team Knew Flynn Was Under Investigation Before He Came to White House
WASHINGTON — Michael T. Flynn told President Trump’s transition team weeks before the inauguration that he was under federal investigation for secretly working as a paid lobbyist for Turkey during the campaign, according to two people familiar with the case.
Despite this warning, which came about a month after the Justice Department notified Mr. Flynn of the inquiry, Mr. Trump made Mr. Flynn his national security adviser. The job gave Mr. Flynn access to the president and nearly every secret held by American intelligence agencies.
https://twitter.com/Amy_Siskind/status/864972527466139648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheobamadiary.com%2F2017%2F05%2F17%2Fchat-away-915%2F
https://twitter.com/make5calls/status/865009105924005889
https://twitter.com/RawStory/status/865009636465758208
Tee hee! Also, she is still ugly.
https://twitter.com/shomaristone/status/865008542553579520
https://twitter.com/axios/status/865004702550810626
He looks no-nonsense.
https://twitter.com/i24NEWS_EN/status/864972721406459904
https://twitter.com/i24NEWS_EN/status/864979239803568128
bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha
https://twitter.com/havewhatusay/status/864998110858166272
https://twitter.com/BraddJaffy/status/864983053327794177
Comey and Yates were his mentees
https://twitter.com/nycjim/status/864985132633030656
https://twitter.com/3ChicsPolitico/status/864996639945117696
https://twitter.com/RealMuckmaker/status/864987777930338305
https://twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/864963759735013376
https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/864973220654579716
https://twitter.com/wpjenna/status/864968784431521794
Uh oh…….
https://twitter.com/ktumulty/status/864966156616118272
Tee hee! Uh oh, Eddie Munster.
https://twitter.com/BraddJaffy/status/864965058283147268
https://twitter.com/BraddJaffy/status/864967935567290368
https://twitter.com/BraddJaffy/status/864967346133377028
https://twitter.com/BraddJaffy/status/864971997327052800
https://twitter.com/BraddJaffy/status/864976035888201728
https://twitter.com/imillhiser/status/864981325576626177