Justice Department appoints Robert Mueller as special counsel to oversee Russia investigation

The Justice Department has appointed former FBI head Robert Mueller to oversee the probe into the connection between President Donald Trump and Russian in the 2016 election.

The appointment Wednesday comes amid a growing Democratic outcry for someone outside the Justice Department to handle the politically charged investigation.

It follows the revelation Tuesday that fired FBI Director James Comey wrote in a memo that Trump had asked him to end an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn.