Well, now it’s serious. The Justice Department appointed ex-FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel to run the feds’ investigation into Russia’s interference into last year’s election — and that includes possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russians.
So who’s Robert Mueller? Glad you asked. He’s the second-longest-serving FBI director in history (under Bush and Obama), a former US attorney who is widely respected, considered nonpartisan and is an incredibly talented investigator. His appointment was widely praised on both sides of the aisle. CNN’s Chris Cillizza says Mueller’s appointment is important because, since he’s respected by Democrats and Republicans alike, his investigation might be the only one that has a prayer of being accepted by the nation.
The White House was blindsided. There was no heads-up from Justice that this was coming until about a half-hour before the news broke. President Trump put out a short statement (no tweets!) saying that the investigation would confirm that “there was no collusion” between his campaign and the Russians.
The markets don’t like all this drama. The Dow had its worst day since September, plummeting 373 points. |