DOJ appoints special prosecutor to take over Russia investigation

Robert Mueller.
(Image credit: Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

The Justice Department on Wednesday appointed a special prosecutor to oversee the ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Robert Mueller, who led the FBI for 12 years during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations, will serve as special counsel, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said in a statement. The announcement comes after the revelation Tuesday night that former FBI Director James Comey kept detailed notes of his conversations with President Trump, including when Trump allegedly asked Comey to drop his Russia-linked investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.