Robert Mueller's Appointment: Ohio's Politicians React

CLEVELAND, OH — Former Director of the FBI Robert Mueller was appointed special counsel to investigate possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian intelligence operatives during the 2016 election. Ohio's congresspeople reacted with near uniform-praise of the move.

Ohio's Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown said in a statement that the investigation into possible collusion was long overdue. He added that "the investigation needs to be done right and it needs to be done swiftly, so the American people can get the answers they deserve."

Brown's colleague, Republican Senator Rob Portman, said Mueller was well-qualified to lead the probe. He added the matter needs to be fully investigated.

Representative Tim Ryan, D-13, Tweeted that Mueller's appointment was a "necessary and long overdue step." Marcia Fudge, D-11, said this was the first step in getting "to the bottom of the situation."

Ryan's colleague, Marcy Kaptur, D-9, did not voice her own thoughts on the matter, but she did retweet California Representative Zoe Lofgren's comment asking for an independent commission to investigate the matter.

Republican David Joyce, R-14, also took to Twitter to applaud the appointment of Mueller. He described the former FBI director as a man of "unquestioned independence and integrity." Bill Johnson, R-6, said he supports a bipartisan investigation, but added that he wants Mueller to also investigate leakers in the White House.

What's the difference between special prosecutor and special counsel?

Substantively, there's little difference in their functions; "special prosecutor" was the designation used under laws during the Nixon era, while current law enables the Justice Department to appoint a "special counsel."

Read more about Mueller's appointment here.

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