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The 2017 special counsel team is a group of attorneys and investigators led by former FBI director Robert Mueller, assembled to probe the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections and related matters.

Origin and powers

On May 17, 2017, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller to serve as special counsel for the United States Department of Justice. In this capacity, Mueller oversees the investigation into "any links and/or coordination between Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump, and any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation".

Mueller's appointment to oversee the investigation immediately garnered widespread support from both Democrats and Republicans in Congress. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) said, "Former Director Mueller is exactly the right kind of individual for this job. I now have significantly greater confidence that the investigation will follow the facts wherever they lead." Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) stated, "Bob was a fine U.S. attorney, a great FBI director and there’s no better person who could be asked to perform this function." She added, "He is respected, he is talented and he has the knowledge and ability to do the right thing."

The appointment followed a series of events which included President Trump's firing of FBI director Comey and "disclosure that Mr. Trump asked Mr. Comey to drop the investigation of his former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn." In an interview with the Associated Press, Rosenstein said he would recuse himself if any of his (Rosentein's) actions were to become a subject in the investigation due to his role in the dismissal of James Comey. As special counsel, Mueller will have the power to issue subpoenas, hire staff members, request funding, and prosecute federal crimes in connection with the election interference.

Team members

Upon his appointment as Special Counsel, Mueller resigned from WilmerHale along with two colleagues, former FBI agent Aaron Zebley and former assistant special prosecutor on the Watergate Special Prosecution Force James L. Quarles III. On May 23, 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice ethics experts announced they had declared Mueller ethically able to function as special counsel. The spokesperson for the special counsel is Peter Carr, who told NBC News that Mueller has taken an active role in managing the inquiry. In an interview with the Associated Press, Rosenstein said he would recuse from supervision of Mueller, if he himself were to become a subject in the investigation due to his role in the dismissal of James Comey.

Other named team members include former DOJ attorney Jeannie Rhee, and DOJ Criminal Fraud Unit head Andrew Weissmann. DOJ Deputy Solicitor General Michael Dreeben, an expert in criminal law, will play a part-time role. Politico reports that the "ideal team" would likely have six to eight prosecutors, along with administrative assistants and experts in areas such as money laundering or interpreting tax returns.

References

1. Rosenstein, Rod. "Rod Rosenstein's Letter Appointing Mueller Special Counsel". The New York Times. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
2. ^ "Rare bipartisan moment: Both sides embrace Robert Mueller as special counsel". USA Today. Retrieved 2017-05-18.
3. Berman, Russell. "Mueller Pick Meets a Rare Bipartisan Consensus". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2017-05-18.
4. Ruiz, Rebecca R. (May 17, 2017). "Robert Mueller, Former F.B.I. Director, Named Special Counsel for Russia Investigation". The New York Times. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
5. Gurman, Sadie; Tucker, Eric; Horwitz, Jeff (June 3, 2017). "Special counsel Mueller's investigation seems to be growing". AP News. Retrieved June 4, 2017. I've talked with Director Mueller about this," Rosenstein said. "He's going to make the appropriate decisions, and if anything that I did winds up being relevant to his investigation then, as Director Mueller and I discussed, if there's a need from me to recuse, I will.
6. Kevin Johnson, Justice Department taps former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel for Russia investigation, USA Today (May 17, 2017).
7. Tanfani, Joseph (May 17, 2017). "Former FBI Director Robert Mueller named special prosecutor for Russia investigation". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
8. Taylor, Jessica; Johnson, Carrie (2017-05-17). "Former FBI Director Mueller Appointed As Special Counsel To Oversee Russia Probe". NPR.
9. Savage, Charlie (May 23, 2017), "Ethics experts clear special counsel in Russia investigation", The New York Times
10. Williams, Pete (June 2, 2017), "Special Counsel Robert Mueller Taking Close Control of Russia Investigation", NBC News
11. Sadie Gurman, Eric Tucker and Jeff Horwitz (June 3, 2017), Special Counsel Mueller's investigation seems to be growing {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
12. ^ Samuelsohn, Darren (June 6, 2017). "Everything we know about the Mueller probe so far". Politico. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
13. Overley, Jeff (9 May 2016). "100 Oral Arguments: How A DOJ Atty Made High Court History". Law360. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
14. Mauro, Tony (9 June 2017). "Mueller Enlists Top Criminal Law Expert for Russia Probe". The National Law Journal. Retrieved 9 June 2017.

• Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections