What happened
publicly
What happened
behind the scenes
What happened
publicly
What happened
behind the scenes
Oct. 28, 2016
James B. Comey, then the F.B.I. director,
notifies Congress that new emails have
surfaced appearing to be “pertinent” to
the Hillary Clinton email investigation.
Oct. 31
Donald J. Trump, then the Republican
presidential nominee, says that
“it took guts” for Mr. Comey to
make the email announcement.
Jan. 6, 2017
Mr. Trump, now president-elect, meets
Mr. Comey for the first time when
intelligence chiefs brief him at Trump
Tower on a report concluding that Russia
had meddled in the American election.
Jan. 20
Mr. Trump is inaugurated.
Jan. 26
Sally Q. Yates, the acting attorney
general, tells White House counsel
Donald F. McGahn II that Michael
T. Flynn, the national security adviser,
had been interviewed by F.B.I.
agents about his communications
with the Russian ambassador and
could be subject to blackmail because
he had lied about their content.
Immediately after
According to the White House,
Mr. McGahn then briefs Mr. Trump
on the meeting with Ms. Yates.
Jan. 27
Mr. Trump and Mr. Comey have a
private dinner the next day. In an account
by Mr. Trump on May 11, Mr. Comey
asks the president to keep his job and
reassures Mr. Trump that he is not
under investigation. Associates of Mr.
Comey describe a far different conversation,
in which Mr. Trump asks Mr. Comey
to pledge his loyalty, and he demurs.
Feb. 13
Mr. Flynn resigns as national security
adviser after it became public that he
misled Vice President Mike Pence over
his communications with the Russian
ambassador to the United States.
Feb. 14
Mr. Trump asks Mr. Comey to drop the
F.B.I. investigation into Mr. Flynn, according
to two people who read a memo that Mr.
Comey wrote shortly after the meeting.
Mr. Flynn is currently being investigated
for his financial ties to Russia and Turkey.
March 4
Mr. Trump claims on Twitter that
former President Barack Obama
tapped his phones during the election.
Later that day
Mr. Comey asks the Justice Department
to publicly reject the claims, but the
department does not release a statement.
March 20
Mr. Comey confirms in a hearing
that the F.B.I. is investigating Russian
links to the Trump campaign and
says there is no evidence to support
the president’s wiretapping claims.
April 12
When asked in an interview whether
it was a mistake not to ask Mr. Comey
to step down, Mr. Trump says, “It's
not too late.” But he asserts that
he has “confidence” in Mr. Comey.
May 2
Mr. Trump says on Twitter, “FBI Director
Comey was the best thing that ever
happened to Hillary Clinton in that he
gave her a free pass for many bad deeds!”
May 3
Mr. Comey testifies on Capitol Hill
about his decision to notify Congress
about new emails in the Clinton
investigation, saying, “It makes me
mildly nauseous to think that we might
have had some impact on the election.”
May 7
Mr. Trump fumes after Mr. Comey’s
May 3 testimony, convinced that he
was grandstanding. His anger grows
as he watches Sunday news programs.
May 8
Having discussed his frustration over Mr.
Comey with at least six advisers, Mr. Trump
meets with Attorney General Jeff Sessions
and the deputy attorney general, Rod J.
Rosenstein, to discuss firing the director.
Later that night
Mr. Trump says on Twitter, “The
Russia-Trump collusion story is a total hoax,
when will this taxpayer funded charade end?”
May 9
Mr. Trump fires Mr. Comey with
a letter delivered to F.B.I. headquarters
by Mr. Trump’s bodyguard.
Shortly afterward
Sean Spicer, the White House
press secretary, releases a statement
saying Mr. Trump acted based on
“clear recommendations” from
Mr. Sessions and Mr. Rosenstein.
Around the same time
Mr. Comey, who is visiting an F.B.I.
field office in Los Angeles, hears about
his firing from television news reports.
Later that evening
Mr. Spicer says that Mr. Rosenstein
and Mr. Sessions recommended firing
Mr. Comey and the president “agreed
with their conclusions and terminated”
him. According to a senior official,
Mr. Sessions had instructed his
deputies to come up with a rationale.
Morning of May 10
Mr. Pence speaks with reporters on
Capitol Hill, characterizing the firing as
“the president's decision to accept the
recommendation of the deputy attorney
general and the attorney general.”
Later that day
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a White House
spokeswoman, says that Mr. Trump had
been considering letting Mr. Comey go
since the president’s election, but that
Mr. Rosenstein had independently decided
to review Mr. Comey’s conduct and had
come to Mr. Trump to express concerns.
Later that night
The White House releases a timeline saying
Mr. Trump lost confidence in Mr. Comey
in recent months and was “strongly inclined
to remove him” after his testimony. It
also says Mr. Trump met with the Justice
Department officials, “and they discussed
reasons for removing the director.”
May 11
In an interview with NBC News, Mr. Trump
gives an alternate story, saying, “Regardless
of recommendation, I was going to fire
Comey.” He also refers to the Russia
investigation, explaining, “When I decided
to just do it, I said to myself” that
“Trump and Russia is a made-up story.”
Later that day
Ms. Sanders repeats the official White
House timeline and says that Mr.
Trump “had already decided to fire
Comey before meeting with Sessions
and Rosenstein” but that she had not
asked Mr. Trump that question directly
before the previous day’s briefing.
Robert Mueller, Former F.B.I. Director, Is Named Special Counsel for Russia Investigation
Photo
Credit Christopher Gregory/The New York Times
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has appointed Robert S. Mueller III, the former F.B.I. director, to serve as a special counsel to oversee its investigation into Russian meddling in the election, Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein announced on Wednesday.
The appointment of Mr. Mueller dramatically raises the stakes for President Trump in the multiple investigations into his campaign’s ties to the Russians. It follows a swiftly moving series of developments that have roiled Washington, including Mr. Trump’s abrupt dismissal of the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, and the disclosure that the president urged Mr. Comey to drop the bureau’s investigation into his former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn.
“I determined that it is in the public interest for me to exercise my authorities and appoint a special counsel to assume responsibility for this matter,” Mr. Rosenstein said in a statement. “My decision is not a finding that crimes have been committed or that any prosecution is warranted. I have made no such determination.”
While a special counsel would remain ultimately answerable to Mr. Rosenstein — and by extension, the president — he would have greater autonomy to run an investigation than a United States attorney would. Mr. Mueller will be able to choose to what extent to consult with or inform the Justice Department about his investigation as it goes forward.
Graphic: Why It’s Hard to Have an Independent Russia Investigation
Mr. Trump defended his campaign, denying accusations of collusion with Russia.
“As I have stated many times, a thorough investigation will confirm what we already know — there was no collusion between my campaign and any foreign entity,” Mr. Trump said in a statement about 90 minutes after Mr. Rosenstein’s announcement. “I look forward to this matter concluding quickly. In the meantime, I will never stop fighting for the people and the issues that matter most to the future of our country.”
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Mr. Mueller is viewed in both parties as one of the most credible law enforcement officials in the country. He served both Democratic and Republican presidents, from 2001 to 2013, and was asked by President Barack Obama to stay on beyond the normal 10-year term until Mr. Comey was appointed.
The appointment is certain to soothe nerves at the F.B.I., where agents have felt under siege by Mr. Trump’s abrupt firing of Mr. Comey and his repeated criticism of their investigation into Russian interference in the election.
Analysts and agents who have briefed Mr. Mueller tell some variation of the same story to show how exacting and relentlessly detail-oriented he is. The story involves a surveillance operation, with agents tailing a suspect in a car. Mr. Mueller is known to ask all the predictable questions about the suspect, and then pounce with, “What color is the car?”
In some tellings, the briefer responds, “Red,” only to be asked, “What shade?”
He is known inside the F.B.I. for that gruff, exacting management style — and for saving the institution. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, there were calls to break up the F.B.I. and create a separate domestic intelligence agency. Mr. Mueller, who came to the agency just one week before the attacks, beat back those efforts and is credited with building the modern F.B.I. He led the investigations into Al Qaeda while simultaneously transforming the agency into a key part of the national security infrastructure.
Document: Rod Rosenstein’s Letter Appointing Mueller Special Counsel
“He’s an absolutely superb choice,” said Kathryn Ruemmler, a former prosecutor and White House counsel under Mr. Obama. “He will just do a completely thorough investigation without regard to public pressure or political pressure.”
She added: “I cannot think of a better choice.”
John S. Pistole, who served as the F.B.I.’s deputy director under Mr. Mueller, also praised the appointment.
“You need an independent assessment of what the president has done, how he has done it and perhaps why he has done it,” said Mr. Pistole, who is now president of Anderson University in Indiana. “The appointment of Director Mueller is exactly what is needed to attempt to bring credibility to the White House when there are so many questions about the president’s actions and motives.”
The order to appoint Mr. Mueller was signed by Mr. Rosenstein on Wednesday, drawing on a regulation granting the attorney general the authority to appoint a special counsel for only the second time in history. The first time it was used was in 1999 by Janet Reno, who appointed Jack Danforth, a former Republican senator from Missouri, to lead an investigation into the botched federal raid on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Tex., in 1993 that killed 76 people.
In his capacity as special counsel, Mr. Mueller will be able to request additional resources for the investigation. Those requests will be reviewed by Lee Lofthus, assistant attorney general for administration.
Mr. Mueller is expected to announce his resignation from the law firm WilmerHale.
Stanley Mann
4 minutes agoIt´s about time a special counsel was appointed, however it´s not the same as a Special Prosecutor or an Independent Bi-partisan commission...
Corbin Doty
4 minutes agoAnd so history comes full circle back to Roy Cohn. Mueller has been working for the law firm WilmerHale, which gained prominence...
Rob M
4 minutes agoperhaps his tax returns will finally be subpoenaed and we will finally sees the depths of the Russia connections.