10 things you need to know today: May 18, 2017

The Justice Department appoints special counsel to lead Russia investigation, Trump says he's treated worse than any politician ever, and more

Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn
(Image credit: Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)

1. Justice Department appoints special counsel to head Russia investigation

The Justice Department on Wednesday appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller III as special counsel to lead the investigation into possible ties between President Trump's campaign and Russian officials. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein made the decision he after pressure for an independent investigation grew louder on Capitol Hill due to a series of unexpected revelations. First, Trump fired James Comey as FBI director, then news reports, citing a memo written by Comey, said that Trump had asked Comey in February to drop the investigation into the Russia ties of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Rosenstein said his decision did not mean he had determined that crimes had been committed, but that the public interest "requires me to place this investigation under the authority of a person who exercises a degree of independence from the normal chain of command." Trump responded by saying that "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."

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.