Trump’s Worst Nightmare Comes True

Politico: “Under terms of his appointment by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, Mueller will have wide powers to investigate ‘any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump’ and—beyond that—’any matters’ that arise from the investigation, including perjury and obstruction of justice.”

“The wide scope suggests an inquiry that is almost certain to last for years, given the history of these sorts of investigations, and will have an unpredictable impact on near year’s congressional midterm elections and the early jockeying in the 2020 presidential campaign. There are likely to be strains between Mueller’s inquiry and those being conducted on Capitol Hill, especially if congressional investigators want to give immunity to targets of Mueller’s investigation in exchange for their testimony, which would complicate the former FBI director hopes of ever obtaining criminal convictions.”

Mike Allen: “Mueller is by-the-book, focused on making cases, viewed as impervious to outside influence.”

“Mueller also happens to be friends with the spurned Jim Comey, another reason that the choice — announced by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who apparently was irate that the Comey firing was initially pinned on him by the White House — is worrisome for the West Wing.”

New York Times: “It would be hard to imagine a choice less helpful to the White House.”