Impetus for investigation to include dismissal of James Comey

Impetus for investigation

Mueller Report

Further information: Dismissal of James Comey

On May 9, 2017 President Donald Trump dismissed the Director of the FBI, James Comey, who had been leading an ongoing FBI investigation into links between Trump Associates & Russian Officials. This investigation began in July 2016 due to the unwitting revelation by foreign policy advisor Geotge Papadopoulos that the Trump campaign knew, before anyone else, that the Russians possessed emails stolen from Hillary Clinton;

Over 130 Democratic lawmakers of the United States Congress called for a special counsel to be appointed in reaction to Comey's firing. CNN reported that within eight days of Comey's dismissal, an FBI investigation on Trump for obstruction of justice was opened by the acting FBI Director at the time, Andrew McCabe, who cited multiple reasons including Comey's firing.After McCabe was later fired from the FBI, he confirmed that he had opened the obstruction investigation, and gave additional reasons for its launch.

Eight days after Comey's dismissal, then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Robert Mueller, as special counsel to take over and expand an existing FBI counterintelligence investigation into possible Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, as well as the FBI investigation nto links between Trump associates and Russian officials that Comey was leading.^[The special counsel also took over the FBI investigation into whether President Trump obstructed justice with Comey.^[Rosenstein's authority to appoint Mueller arose due to Attorney General Jeff Sessions.' March 2017 recusal of himself from investigations into the Trump campaign.

Scope and mandate

According to its authorizing document, which was signed by then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on May 17, 2017, the investigation's scope included allegations that there were links or coordination between Donald Trump's presidential campaign and the Russian government as well as "any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation". The authorizing document also included "any other matters within the scope of 28 CFR § 600 enabling the special counsel "to investigate and prosecute" any attempts to interfere with its investigation, "such as perjury, obstruction of justice, destruction of evidence and intimidation of witnesses".

Proceedings of investigation

Further information: Criminal charges brought by the Special Council investigation in 2017-2019.The Special Counsel investigation ran from May 17, 2017, to March 22, 2019, and resulted in thirty four indictments, including against several former members of the Trump campaign and many of which are still being tried. The investigation issued over 2,800 subpoenes, executed almost 500 search warrants, and interviewed approximately 500 witnesses.

The Mueller Report included references to 14 criminal investigations that were referred to other offices, 12 of which were completely redacted in the April 18 release. The other two related to Michael Cohen and Gregory Craig, cases that were already public.