Former FBI boss to lead inquiry into Trump-Russia ties

Robert Mueller, former FBI director, has been named by the Justice Department as a special counsel to lead an investigation into possible links between Russian Federation and President Donald Trump’s campaign during the 2016 US presidential elections, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

As special counsel, Mueller will direct an FBI counterintelligence investigation examining whether Russian Federation coordinated with Trump campaign associates to influence the election in his behalf. There is no expiration date for Mr Mueller’s authority.

“No politician in history, and I say this with great surety, has been treated worse or more unfairly”, he said.

Also via Twitter, Trump accused former president Barack Obama and his 2016 rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton, of unspecified “illegal acts”.

And the third question will be whether anyone in the administration, up to and including President Donald Trump, illegally tried to interfere with investigations into the alleged meddling and collusion.

Mueller was named to the post by deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein.

Mueller oversaw arguably the most significant changes the century-old Federal Bureau of Investigation had ever gone through, and he received praise from lawmakers in both parties on Wednesday for his commitment to justice.

Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion between his campaign and the Kremlin, amid accusations from United States intelligence that Russian President Vladimir Putin orchestrated a sweeping campaign to tilt the vote in the Republican’s favor. “I look forward to getting this issue behind us with a thorough and complete investigation”.

While Mueller begins his investigation, Congress has its own ongoing probe into Russian Federation.

Last night’s appointment came as FBI Director James B. Comey was asked to testify before the House Oversight Committee Wednesday in what could be the first of several appearances before House and Senate lawmakers.

Mueller, a former federal prosecutor at the Justice Department, was confirmed as FBI director days before the September 11, 2001, attacks that would ultimately shape his tenure.

The day after Rosenstein appointed a special counsel to investigate possible coordination between Trump’s associates and Russian officials, he appeared before the Senate on Thursday afternoon to brief senators in a closed session.

President Donald Trump said Thursday he did not ask FBI Director James Comey to end his investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) said, “Director Mueller, impeccable credentials. Should be widely accepted”.

Four months later, Mueller made public a 96-page report.

Sen. Marco Rubio commented on President Trump’s statement that the situation is a “witch hunt” as well saying, “He’s entitled to his opinion but ‘we are a nation of laws'”.

But Trump, after issuing a measured statement when the news first broke Wednesday evening, allowed his resentment to burst forth Thursday in angry morning tweets.

The White House isn’t releasing a comprehensive itinerary for Mrs. Trump, citing security concerns.

Once again, Trump’s tweets on Thursday saw him stake out a radical departure from the official White House line on an important issue, a habit that has repeatedly undermined his press operation in recent days, and made it even more hard for his administration to move on from a string of self-imposed crises. “The American people need to hear his side of the story, so we’re at it”.

He also oversaw the investigation into the Pan Am airline bombing over Scotland and the drug case against former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega. Joe Lieberman was among the top contenders for the job.

It was a concession by the Trump administration, which had resisted calls from Democrats to turn the investigation over to outside counsel.

Earlier in life, Mueller served as a U.S. Marine officer, and an assistant U.S. attorney in three different offices.