Donald Trump Administration The boiling scandals that have emerged inside of it have come to the stage that by now seems inevitable. The bad news is that not more than a few months into the Trump presidency, a special counsel has been appointed. The good news is that person is Robert Mueller, a former Fbi Director who served under both President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama. Muller is well respected by both Republicans and Democrats and has a reputation for honesty and fairness. He is considered incorruptible and impervious to intimidation.
What will the new special counsel do now?
Mueller was appointed to take over the investigation into alleged Russian interference into the recent 2016 Presidential Elections and possible links with the Trump campaign as well as, “any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation." Those matters may include the accusation that Trump tried to close down the Flynn investigation and that the revealed classified information to the Russian foreign minister and ambassador to the United States. In theory, Mueller’s brief and the resources he will have available will be unlimited.
Why Robert Mueller?
Mueller was appointed FBI director days before 9/11 and was instrumental in reorganizing the Bureau into a counter-intelligence organization to fight terrorism.
He is a Vietnam-era Marine Corps veteran. Besides stints in private practice, he has ample prosecutorial experience, both as head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and as a U.S. Attorney. In short, if there is anyone with the experience to handle the Russian investigation, that person is Mueller.
Why is the appointment good news?
The appointment of a special counsel will, at least for a while, take the matter out of the political realm. The alleged Trump misdeeds had become the catalyst of a white hot atmosphere of hyper-partisanship that had consumed everything else. Mueller’s appointment is especially good news for President Trump, provided that he is innocent.
Mueller is expected to get at the truth of the matter and to indict or not depending on what he finds out. It is anticipated that he will not go off on tangents, as has previous special counsels and find someone to indict for the sake of burnishing his reputation. Mueller is a man of such accomplishment that he is judged to have nothing to prove.
Of course, no matter what the conclusion of the investigation, the matter will get political again. If Muller declines to indict anyone, the Democrats will not be happy. If he does indict, even if the subject is a lower level figure, Republicans will not be pleased. But, for now, the matter is in the hands of a professional.
