BREAKING: Department of Justice appoints special counsel to take over Russia probe

Robert Mueller, Former F.B.I. Director, Named Special Counsel for Russia Investigation

Robert S. Mueller III, the former F.B.I. director, during a Senate hearing in 2013.
CHRISTOPHER GREGORY / THE NEW YORK TIMES
By REBECCA R. RUIZ
MAY 17, 2017



WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has appointed Robert S. Mueller III, the former F.B.I. director, to serve as a special counsel to oversee its investigation into Russian meddling in the election, Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein announced on Wednesday.

The appointment of Mr. Mueller dramatically raises the stakes for President Trump in the multiple investigations into his campaign’s ties to the Russians. It follows a swiftly moving series of developments that have roiled Washington, including Mr. Trump’s abrupt dismissal of the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, and the disclosure that the president urged Mr. Comey to drop the bureau’s investigation into his former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn.



Graphic | Why It’s So Hard to Have an Independent Russia Investigation A breakdown of current and possible future options.

“I determined that it is in the public interest for me to exercise my authorities and appoint a special counsel to assume responsibility for this matter,” Mr. Rosenstein said in a statement. “My decision is not a finding that crimes have been committed or that any prosecution is warranted. I have made no such determination.”

While a special counsel would remain ultimately answerable to Mr. Rosenstein — and by extension, the president — he would have greater autonomy to run an investigation than a United States attorney.

Mr. Mueller is expected to announce his resignation from the law firm WilmerHale.

 
Robert Mueller was nominated by President George W. Bush and became the sixth Director of the FBI on September 4, 2001.

Born in New York City, Mr. Mueller grew up outside of Philadelphia. He graduated from Princeton University in 1966 and later earned a master’s degree in International Relations at New York University.

After college, he joined the United States Marine Corps, where he served as an officer for three years, leading a rifle platoon of the Third Marine Division in Vietnam. He is the recipient of the Bronze Star, two Navy Commendation Medals, the Purple Heart, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.

Following his military service, Mr. Mueller earned a law degree from the University of Virginia Law School in 1973 and served on the Law Review.

After completing his education, Mr. Mueller worked as a litigator in San Francisco until 1976. He then served for 12 years in United States Attorney’s Offices, first in the Northern District of California in San Francisco, where he rose to be chief of its criminal division. In 1982, he moved to Boston as an Assistant United States Attorney, where he investigated and prosecuted major financial fraud, terrorist, and public corruption cases, as well as narcotics conspiracies and international money launderers.

After serving as a partner at the Boston law firm of Hill and Barlow, Mr. Mueller returned to public service. In 1989 he served in the United States Department of Justice as an assistant to Attorney General Richard L. Thornburgh. The following year he took charge of its Criminal Division. In 1991, he was elected Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

In 1993, Mr. Mueller became a partner at Boston’s Hale and Dorr, specializing in complex white collar crime litigation. He again returned to public service in 1995 as senior litigator in the Homicide Section of the District of Columbia United States Attorney’s Office. In 1998, Mr. Mueller was named United States Attorney in San Francisco and held that position until 2001.

Mr. Mueller and his wife, Ann, have two daughters
 
What's the Vegas over/under on Trump making it to January 20, 2018? I'm ready to put some money up
 
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As I understand it there is a difference between special counsel and independent.
Special counsel has to report to who hired/appointed them.

Independent counsel /investigator has a job or mission to get to the bottom of an issue with complete autonomy.
 
Yeah Mueller is cool..













Except.... For that time that he was fighting for Domestic Wiretapping to be declared constitutional and threatened to resign if it was held unconstitutional.
So there is that...

but he has worked under Republicans and Democrats.. so I'm cool with this.
 
Yeah Mueller is cool..













Except.... For that time that he was fighting for Domestic Wiretapping to be declared constitutional and threatened to resign if it was held unconstitutional.
So there is that...

but he has worked under Republicans and Democrats.. so I'm cool with this.

I just want to know if this dude ain't an LMD about to say Hail Hydra off camera.
 
he's a 70 year old toddler
of course he will.
because nobody is smart enough to tell him to shut the entire fuck up he'll say some shit he shouldn't say.
he's lied his way into the white house it's never gonna stop until he's in actual handcuffs
True. This may be a game changer for him tho. If he doesn't tweet on this by midnight its safe to assume he's feeling some heat. He nevers goes a news cycle without tweeting on the accusations and happenings.
 
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