The Russian-Trump affair has another actor in scene. On Wednesday, the Justice Department appointed the former FBI Director Robert Mueller to lead the investigation of Russia’s alleged interference with the presidential election and ties to the Trump campaign.

Mueller, 72, was appointed chief of the FBI by George W Bush in 2001 and served 12 years, including most of the years of Barack Obama’s presidency, as reported the Guardian in a profile of the newly appointed counsel. 

The position of special counsel allows the attorney general to mount an independent investigation, in this case, the Russian interference in the previous presidential campaign.

The responsible for appointing Mueller was deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein. Last week, Rosenstein sent a letter with recommendations to Trump on how to carry the Russian investigation which was determinant in the President’s decision to fire James Comey some days after.  

 “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. In the meantime, I will never stop fighting for the people and the issues that matter most to the future of our country,” Trump said in a statement released after Mueller’s appointment.

An independent commission would be able to answer broader questions, but, according to The Atlantic, "the appointment escalates the seriousness of the investigation."

Trump has firmly opposed the appointment of a special counsel, calling the investigation a waste of taxpayer money, as reported in The Guardian.