Update at 7:06pm to include reaction from President Donald Trump:
(AP) – President Donald Trump says a thorough investigation will confirm what he says is already known: that there was no collusion between his presidential campaign and any foreign entity.
Trump commented late Wednesday after the Justice Department announced the appointment of former FBI director Robert Mueller to oversee the probe into Trump-Russian connection in the 2016 election.
Trump says In a written statement that he looks forward to “this matter concluding quickly.”
He also pledges to never stop fighting for the people and issues that are important to the country’s future.
Trump last week fired James Comey from his post as FBI director, explaining that it was partly because of the Russia investigation.
Original story:
(AP) – The Justice Department has appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as a special counsel to oversee a federal investigation into potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign to influence the 2016 presidential election.
The appointment Wednesday comes amid a growing Democratic outcry for someone outside the Justice Department to handle the politically charged investigation.
It follows the revelation Tuesday that fired FBI Director James Comey wrote in a memo that Trump had asked him to end an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
House Republicans have mixed reactions to the surprise announcement.
Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz of Utah said late Wednesday that Mueller is a “great selection. Impeccable credentials. Should be widely accepted.”
Congressman Peter King of New York is expressing concern over the wide purview special prosecutors have. King says, “I’m worried with all special counsels because there’s no control over them and they can abuse their power.”
In the 1990s, Democrats insisted that independent counsel Kenneth Starr, who investigated former President Bill Clinton, overstepped his authority.
(Copyright 2017, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
