US department of justice appoints former FBI director Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate Russian meddling in 2016 election

The US Justice Department has 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 that partly reads, 'as special counsel, Mueller is authorized to prosecute federal crimes arising from the investigation of these matters.

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. 

Mueller was appointed FBI Director by President George W. Bush in 2001 and served until 2013, when Comey took over as head.

May 18, 2017