With guest host Tom Gjelten.
The Justice Department establishes a special counsel to investigate the President. Roger Ailes, dead at 77.
Democrats wanted a special prosecutor. Republicans did not. Then – word that President Trump had intervened. That changed everything and last night the deputy attorney general announced: there will be a special counsel in charge of the Russia investigation. It’s former FBI director Robert Mueller. Also this late news, the founding Fox News CEO Roger Ailes died this morning. This hour On Point, Robert Mueller takes charge, and the legacy of Roger Ailes.
Guests
Susan Hennessey, managing editor of Lawfare and fellow in national security law at the Brookings Institution. ( @Susan_Hennessey)
Zeke Miller, White House correspondent for TIME Magazine. ( @ZekeJMiller)
Ben Domenech, publisher of the Federalist and host of the Federalist Radio Hour. Contributor to CBS News. ( @bdomenech)
From The Reading List
NBC News: Special Counsel Will Take Over FBI Russia Campaign Interference Investigation — “Bowing to public and Congressional pressure, Deputy U.S. Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed former FBI Director Bob Mueller on Wednesday to be a special counsel overseeing the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 campaign, Justice Department officials said.”
New York Times: Trump Team Knew Flynn Was Under Investigation Before He Came to White House — “Michael T. Flynn told President Trump’s transition team weeks before the inauguration that he was under federal investigation for secretly working as a paid lobbyist for Turkey during the campaign, according to two people familiar with the case.”
POLITICO: Conservatives begin to whisper: President Pence — “On the campaign trail, Pence would shut down any conversations about the possibility of his own future bid should Trump lose, telling donors who raised the prospect that he was entirely focused on the race at hand. Aides said that sentiment was sincere — even if they engaged in some thinking about what Pence’s future could entail after a likely loss. Still, some conservatives are hinting that Pence looks like a particularly good alternative right now, especially as the Justice Department moves ahead with a special prosecutor for the FBI’s Russia probe.”
Roger Ailes, Dead At 77
Hadas Gold, media reporter for POLITICO. ( @Hadas_Gold)
Brian Stelter, host of CNN’s Reliable Sources and senior media correspondent. ( @brianstelter)
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