who is on the mueller attorney team

Who are the attorneys on Robert Mueller’s team?

These 18 attorneys are confirmed members of Mueller’s team: Zainab Ahmad is an attorney on loan from the Eastern District of New York, where she served as a deputy chief of the National Security and Cybercrime section before being loaned to Mueller’s team.

Which members of Mueller's team have finished their work?

Other members of Mueller's team have already concluded their work. Scott Meisler, who like Weissmann and Atkinson worked in DOJ's criminal division, returned there in December. Meisler worked on the Manafort prosecution, and along with Ahmad has fought to obtain information from a still-unidentified foreign company.

Who are Mueller's closest associates?

Considered Mr. Mueller’s closest associate, Mr. Zebley often serves as an intermediary between Mr. Mueller’s office and senior officials at the Justice Department who oversee the investigation. He was Mr. Mueller’s chief of staff at the F.B.I. and followed him to WilmerHale.

What happened to the prosecutors on the Mueller investigation?

The makeup of the team has shifted as prosecutors and others have departed and some aspects of the investigation are wrapping up. Here is a guide to the key prosecutors and what we know so far about the cases they worked on.

What is Andrew Weissman doing now?

In 2020, Weissmann returned to Jenner & Block as co-chair of its investigations, compliance and defense practice.

Who assigned Mueller to special counsel?

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, in his role as Acting Attorney General for matters related to the campaign due to the recusal of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, appointed Mueller, a former Director of the FBI, to serve as Special Counsel for the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) with authority to ...

Where was Weissmann born?

New York, NYAndrew Weissmann / Place of birth

How many special counsel's have there been?

Roughly twenty special prosecutors (called independent counsels after 1983) were appointed under the Ethics in Government Act and its reauthorizations during the Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton administrations.

Who appointed William Barr?

On December 7, 2018, President Donald Trump announced Barr's nomination to succeed Jeff Sessions. Michael Isikoff and Daniel Klaidman reported that Trump had sought Barr as chief defense lawyer for Trump regarding the special counsel investigation headed by Robert Mueller after Barr made three positions known.

What is Robert Mueller's job?

ProsecutorRobert Mueller / ProfessionA prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal trial against an individual accused of breaking the law. Wikipedia

Who heads the Office of Special Counsel?

​Susan K. Ullman is the General Counsel of the Office of Special Counsel and serves as OSC's Designated Agency Ethics Official. Ms. Ullman joined OSC in 2017 following 16 years at the U.S. Department of Justice, most recently as Senior Trial Counsel in the Federal Programs Branch.

Is a special counsel a barrister?

Senior counsel are barristers of seniority and eminence. The designation of senior counsel provides a public identification of barristers whose standing and achievements justify an expectation that they can provide outstanding services as advocates and advisers, to the good of the administration of justice.

Who owns special counsel?

We are proud to say that Special Counsel, along with the rest of the Adecco Group North America brands, has been named a Great Place to Work-Certified™ company.

What is the scope of the Mueller investigation?

The scope of the investigation, individuals familiar with the matter have told CBS News, includes Russian interference in the election, Russian hacking, any other Russian influence, and possible financial wrongdoing. Mueller's team recently obtained records from Facebook regarding $100,000 in ad buys Russians made during and immediately after the 2016 presidential election. Between June 2015 and May of this year, about 3,000 ads connected with 470 "inauthentic accounts" were posted on Facebook, according to the social media giant.

Where did Weissmann work?

He has spent most of his career at the Department of Justice. During the 1990s, Weissmann worked on a case related to the mafia and Russian organized crime that involved Felix Sater, a Trump business partner who is now a focus of Mueller's probe.

Is Mueller using a grand jury?

Last month, CBS reported Mueller is using a grand jury in the probe, which is an indication the probe is intensifying. The impaneling of a grand jury means Mueller's team has the ability to seek indictments and subpoena records, although the special counsel already had broad investigative authority when Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein ...

Where did Mueller's lawyers come from?

Several of the team's lawyers came from Wilmer-Hale, where Mueller was recently a partner. Some are veteran federal prosecutors who have tried terrorism cases against al Qaeda operatives or mafia bosses. Others bring white-collar criminal expertise.

Who is Greg Andres?

Greg Andres. A former DOJ official, Andres is one of the most recent hires to the team joining in early August, according to Reuters news agency. Andres comes to the team from the Davis Polk & Wardwell law firm in New York where he is a partner, focusing on white collar criminal defense cases.

Who is Andrew Weissmann?

Andrew Weissmann. Weissmann was the FBI's general counsel while Mueller was FBI director. In early 2015, he was selected to serve as chief of the fraud section in the Justice Department's criminal division. He has also worked as a partner at Jenner & Block and was the director of the Enron Task Force from 2002 until 2005.

Who is Aaron Zebley?

Aaron Zebley. Joining the prosecution team in June, Zebley had served as Mueller's chief of staff while he was FBI director. Before joining the special counsel's office, he was a partner at law firm WilmerHale, where he focused on cybersecurity issues. He also been senior counselor in the Justice Department's national security division, ...

How much did Van Grack donate to Obama?

Van Grack gave about $300 to the Obama campaign and Victory Fund in 2008, in addition to other Democratic donations totaling less than $100 in 2012. Andrew Weissmann and other members of Robert Mueller's legal team walk outside the U.S. Courthouse in Washington, Sept. 20, 2017.

Why is Special Counsel Mueller under fire?

Mueller’s team has come under fire in the past year for perceived biases against the President. Conservatives have pointed to team members’ donations to Democratic causes as a major red flag, as well as a 2016 cache of text messages disparaging then-candidate Trump recovered from former team members FBI Agent Peter Strzok and FBI lawyer Lisa Page. Justice Department guidelines do not allow consideration of party affiliation to affect personnel decisions. Special counsel Mueller himself has been a registered Republican in the past and was first appointed FBI Director by President George W. Bush.

How many prosecutors did Mueller have?

Mueller has added two prosecutors to his legal team since the probe began.

When did Scott Meisler join the Special Counsel?

Scott Meisler joined the special counsel in June 2017, according to Mueller spokesman Peter Carr. Meisler joined the special counsel in June 2017. Prior to that, he had worked as an appellate attorney for the Department of Justice’s criminal division since 2009.

Who brought Zelinsky to the FBI?

Harold Koh, formerly of the State Department, has said he brought Zelinsky in as a special assistant at the State Department, where he worked the cases of Americans held hostage abroad. Koh calls Zelinsky “an incredible team leader.”. Two FBI veterans have left the team since its inception. Peter Strzok, who had been tapped by Mueller ...

Is Special Counsel Mueller a Republican?

Justice Department guidelines do not allow consideration of party affiliation to affect personnel decisions. Special counsel Mueller himself has been a registered Republican in the past and was first appointed FBI Director by President George W. Bush. These 18 attorneys are confirmed members of Mueller’s team:

Who is Elizabeth Prelogar?

Elizabeth Prelogar is an appellate attorney on loan from the Office of the Solicitor General. Prelogar reportedly joined the Mueller probe in June. She previously clerked for both Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan and earned an Overseas Press Club Award for work studying Russian media. She majored in Russian and English during her undergraduate studies at Emory University. Prelogar gave a total of $500 to the Obama campaign and Victory Fund 2012 and $250 to Clinton in 2016.

What did James Quarles do during the Watergate investigation?

According to Wired, during the Watergate investigation, he focused on campaign finance research.

How much has Rhee donated to Hillary Clinton?

Rhee has donated over $15,000 to Democratic candidates over the years, including Hillary Clinton, according to Open Secrets.

How much has James Quarles donated to Democrats?

James Quarles has donated over $30,000 to Democrats over the years, including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, according to Open Secrets.

Why is Dreeben so respected?

According to The Washington Post, Dreeben is “highly respected by Democrats and Republicans because of his encyclopedic knowledge of criminal law.”

What was the role of Weissmann in the Enron scandal?

In this position, he tried a number of crime families including the Gambinos. In addition, from 2002 to 2005, Weissmann served as director of the task force investigating the Enron scandal. This was the Justice Department’s investigation into fraud at the American energy company Enron.

How many investigators did Mueller have?

A special counsel like Mueller is allowed to hire his own staff, and Mueller has now assembled a team of 13 investigators, according to CNN. However, at this time, only five members of this team have been identified. President Donald Trump has attacked the lawyers investigating him, suggesting that they are “bad and conflicted” people.

Where did Jeannie Rhee work?

Like several of her colleagues on the Russia investigation, Jeannie Rhee previously worked at the law firm WilmerHale, where she was a partner in the Litigation/Controversy Department. According to WilmerHale, she primarily advised clients “who are the subject of government investigations, including white-collar criminal investigations, False Claims Act allegations and securities enforcement matters.”

What questions did Mueller ask?

Mueller has pursued a basic set of questions: How did Russia, on the orders of President Vladimir V. Putin, wage a campaign to illegally influence the 2016 presidential race? Did any Trump associates conspire with Russia’s interference? Has President Trump tried to obstruct the inquiry?

How old is Quarles?

At 72, Mr. Quarles is one of the oldest and most senior members of the team, and he has a history in Washington: He was a Watergate prosecutor. He was also one of three lawyers Mr. Mueller brought on from WilmerHale, his former firm.

How many Russian intelligence officers were indicted for hacking Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign?

The second indictment accused 12 Russian intelligence officers in the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Why did the Kremlin hold off on escalating?

Flynn, tapped as the president’s first national security adviser, asked Russia’s ambassador to the United States in late 2016 that the Kremlin hold off on escalating in response to sanctions imposed by the Obama administration over election interference.

Was Van Grack involved in the Mueller investigation?

Mr. Van Grack was on detail from the Justice Department’s national security division until early October and was involved in several of the most public elements of the Mueller investigation, including Mr. Flynn’s and Mr. Manafort’s plea deals, and Mr. Manafort’s convictions in his August trial. Mr. Van Grack has returned to the national security division but will still be involved in some aspects of the special counsel’s work.

When did Trump fire Comey?

Mr. Trump’s firing of Mr. Comey on May 9, 2017 , prompted the investigation into whether he was trying to obstruct the Russia inquiry. Among the episodes Mr. Mueller is examining: whether Mr. Trump’s lawyers discussed pardons with Mr. Manafort’s and Mr. Flynn’s lawyers; whether Mr. Trump tried to force former Attorney General Jeff Sessions to take back oversight of the investigation after he recused himself; and whether Mr. Trump tried to fire the special counsel himself.

Where do the core prosecutors come from?

They come from familiar places: the Justice Department’s criminal division, federal prosecutors’ offices in New York and around Washington and a law firm where Mr. Mueller worked.