Rod Rosenstein Image by Getty Images

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, in the face of rising pressure from Capitol Hill, named former FBI chief Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election and possible collusion between President Donald Trump’s campaign and Moscow.

The move followed a week in which the White House was thrown into uproar after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey.

“My decision (to appoint a special counsel) is not the finding that crimes have been committed or that any prosecution is warranted. I have made no such determination,” Rosenstein said.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“I determined that a special counsel is necessary in order for the American people to have full confidence in the outcome,” he added.

The once highly respected Rosenstein has come under withering criticism over his memo that Trump initially used as a reason to fire Comey.

Mueller, who led the FBI for 12 years, said in a statement tweeted by CBS News: “I accept this responsibility and will discharge it to the best of my ability.”

Trump, whose anger over the allegations has grown in recent weeks, was only informed of the decision 30 minutes before it was announced.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount