It is not new that last week, Trump stunningly fired FBI Director James Comey, who was overseeing the Russia probe. In a brazen warning to Comey, Trump suggested he may have tapes of their conversations. Undeterred, Comey's associates then revealed that the former FBI chief has a memo of a meeting with Trump in which the president asks for the investigation into ousted national security adviser Michael Flynn to be stopped. Controversy is nothing new for Trump. As a candidate, he often careened from one crisis to the next, including the release of a video in which he was heard making predatory comments about women. His response often followed a familiar pattern: blaming the media for peddling "fake news," lashing out at his rivals and creating provocative distractions, often with a well- timed tweet. He's tried to deploy that same playbook to tamp down the Russia controversy. He's repeatedly panned both the FBI investigation and concurrent probes on Capitol Hill as a "hoax." He's blamed Democrats for leveling allegations of Russian collusion as a way to explain their crushing defeats in last year's elections. And he's urged not only his supporters, but also the FBI, to focus more on the leaks about the investigation that have deepened questions about possible Russia connections. Meanwhile, the former FBI director and prosecutor Robert Mueller, known for his independence in high profile government investigations, is taking on a new challenge in the midst of a crisis that threatens the presidency of the United States. Mueller, 72, was named on Wednesday by the Justice Department to probe alleged Russian efforts to sway November's presidential election in favor of Donald Trump, and investigate whether there was any collusion between Trump's campaign team and Moscow. President Trump said in a statement that there was no collusion between his campaign and "any foreign entity." Mueller is known as "Bobby Three Sticks" by some because of his full name, Robert Mueller III - a moniker that belies the formal bearing and no-nonsense style of the former Marine Corps officer who was decorated during the Vietnam War. Democrats and Republicans alike praised his appointment and hailed his integrity and reputation. As special counsel, Mueller will serve at the pleasure of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed him to the post. Mueller, known for avoiding political controversy, took a stand in 2004 when he and then-Deputy Attorney General James Comey threatened to resign when the Bush White House sought to reauthorize a domestic wiretapping program that the Justice Department had deemed unconstitutional. Trump on addressing the Coast Guard Academy on Wednesday, have defended himself, telling graduating cadets that no leader in history had been treated more “unfairly” by the news media and Washington elites.

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