buzzfeed:

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has appointed a special counsel to oversee the investigation into Russian influence in the 2016 election, ending weeks of speculation about how Rosenstein would respond to the growing chorus of lawmakers and advocacy groups calling for such a move.

Rosenstein has named former FBI director Robert Mueller, the Justice Department has confirmed.

“In my capacity as acting Attorney General, I determined that it is in the public interest for me to exercise my authority and appoint a Special Counsel to assume responsibility for this matter,” 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. What I have determined is that 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.”