Former FBI Director Heads Investigation into Trump/Russian Connections

Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller. Featured Image via The New York Times

These past two weeks have been a very busy for the current administration. After being accused of releasing classified information on the war on terror to Russian ambassadors last week, an investigation into his relationship with Russia has begun to take shape this week.

There were two major events which occurred recently that led to this hearing. The first was President Trump firing FBI Director James Comey. Although very surprising, this would have been understood had the reports of Trump asking Mr. Comey to drop the investigation of Michael T. Flynn, President Trump’s former national security advisor. When these two events happened in quick succession, members of both political parties called for a special hearing which will only be the second one since the power to organize one was created in 1999.

Even the Republicans in congress have started feeling suspicious of President Trump. This can be seen in their asking of Comey to testify on his interactions with Trump in both the Senate Judiciary and Intelligence Committee and House Oversight Committee. The reason they so heavily pursued his testimony was because reports stated that Director Comey had documented interactions with Trump where he was asked to end the investigation into Mr. Flynn.

Today it was announced by deputy attorney general Rod J. Rosenstein that former Federal Prosecutor Robert S. Mueller III has been appointed as the Special Counsel for this investigation. After announcing his appointment yesterday, both sides of the aisle were very pleased based on his extensive resume.

Mueller is trusted by both sides, and many believe that he is the one man who will make sure that every avenue that presents itself will be explored and understood fully. During his tenure as a federal prosecutor, he had an almost perfect record and will carry that record into this counsel being able to alleviate any uncertainty that the government has about the current situation. Another beneficial

As the head of this investigation, Mueller will have much more power than federal prosecutors would have in a similar situation. He is not required to consult his plan nor findings with the Justice Department since he is acting independently. In addition to investigating President Trump and his links to Russia, he is also able to investigate the ties between Russia and individuals who were associated with Trump’s campaign. Therefore, General Sessions stepped down from organizing the investigation, he had been in contact with the Russian ambassador to Washington, Sergey I. Kislayk. Mr. Mueller is also able to investigate any other matters that may result from his investigation. And, ultimately, although Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein said that he is not attempting to determine if a crime has been committed or if prosecution is necessary, Mr. Mueller can press criminal charges and request more resources if the situation presents itself.

Although Trump has come across as very calm throughout the entire investigation, he is still hoping to fight these most recent allegations as he did those during his campaign, most recently being quoted as saying,
“As I have stated many times, a thorough investigation will confirm what we already know — there was no collusion between my campaign and any foreign entity. I look forward to this matter concluding quickly. In the meantime, I will never stop fighting for the people and the issues that matter most to the future of our country.”

Before this investigation formally begins, Mr. Mueller is expected to resign from his law firm WilmerHale which represents both Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, and Paul Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign chairmen.

Hopefully, after this investigation concludes, both the FBI, which has felt under attack due to the Comey firing and Trump’s harsh criticisms, and the United States will be able to return to normal and focus less on Trump, and more on domestic and international policy.