WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — A new special prosecutor in the FBI's Russia investigation, Robert Mueller, promised following his appointment to do everything possible to perform and complete the probe.
"I accept this responsibility and will discharge it to the best of my ability," Mueller said on Wednesday as quoted by CBS News.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced earlier in the day the Justice Department's decision to designate Mueller a special counsel based "upon the unique circumstances, the public interest" to put the Russia investigation into the hands of an independent and well-experienced official.
Later, Donald Trump said that the investigation would prove no collusion took place, the White House said in a press release.
"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. I look forward to this matter concluding quickly," Trump stated in the release on Wednesday.
US President Donald Trump responded to the appointment by restating his firm belief that the thorough investigation should be concluded as soon as possible. He stressed that the probe would confirm there was no collusion between his campaign and any foreign entity.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, however, suggested that the prosecutor would not be able to replace a fully independent congressional commission and that Trump could still "meddle" in the process.
On Tuesday, The New York Times reported that former FBI Director James Comey alleged in a memorandum that, during a meeting with the president in February, Trump asked him to halt an investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's ties to Russia.
On May 9, Trump fired Comey from the position of FBI director based on recommendations from Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Rosenstein. The firing took place amid the ongoing investigations into the Trump team's alleged ties with Russia and the Kremlin’s alleged interference in the 2016 US elections.
Russia has repeatedly denied US claims that it meddled in the vote, calling such allegations absurd. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Moscow did not have official contacts with Trump's team during the presidential campaign.
