The US Department of Justice Wednesday named a former head of the FBI as special counsel to lead the politically-charged investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein named Robert Mueller to lead the probe into alleged Russian meddling and possible collusion with Donald Trump's team, as the president stands accused of seeking to stall the investigation.
"Based upon the unique circumstances, the public interest requires me to place this investigation under the authority of a person who exercises a degree of independence from the normal chain of command," Rosenstein said in a statement.