Mueller right man for Trump investigation

Some sanity was injected into the political hysteria engulfing Washington, D.C., last week when Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein selected former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel to lead an investigation into whether the Trump campaign collaborated with Russia during the 2016 presidential election.

Mueller, a career lawman who has wide bipartisan respect, has the knowledge, legal authority and temperament needed to determine exactly what the Russians did, if anything, to seek to sway the 2016 elections or whether, as Trump maintains, the whole exercise is a “hoax” and “witch hunt.”

Equally important, Mueller’s appointment should put a damper on the political posturing and allow Congress and the administration to get on with the work Americans elected them to do — like fixing the Affordable Care Act mess, investing in jobs and infrastructure, tax reform, border security and immigration reform, battling ISIS and rebuilding a military to meet rising Russian, Chinese and North Korean threats.

Democrats wanted an independent investigator — although they wanted nothing of the sort when Hillary Clinton was under investigation by a friendly Justice Department. Now, they have one they say they like. Good.

And Trump should welcome this move, get off Twitter and get back to work on the promises he made the American voters.

Let’s let Mueller do his work. Given the broad powers of a special counsel, he will be able to dive as deep as he needs to get to the bottom of these issues, including Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey. Part and parcel to the investigation is former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, whose contacts with Russian officials and his dishonesty about them finally forced Trump to tell him, “You’re fired.”

Mueller also should determine whether Trump tried to get Comey to back off the Flynn investigation.

And Mueller should walk the line of fairness. Who has leaked the classified material to the press? Who “unmasked” Flynn? At this point, that’s the only crime we actually know has been committed.

Mueller’s supporters include powerful Democrats and Republicans. They say he’s the man for the job.

Mueller’s probe will not be comfortable for Trump, his administration, Congress, Americans or those who look up to the United States as a model democracy. But at this point it’s something this country needs.

— Albuquerque Journal