Trump claims special prosecutor on Russia 'hurts our country terribly'

On Thursday, President Trump blasted the Justice Department's decision to appoint a special prosecutor to oversee the ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. "I believe it hurts our country terribly, because it shows we're a divided, mixed-up, not-unified country," Trump said. He added: "Hopefully this can go quickly, because we have to show unity if we're going to do great things with respect to the rest of the world."

The DOJ's decision follows 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. Robert Mueller, who led the FBI for 12 years during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations, will serve as special counsel.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up