Former FBI Director Robert Mueller Robert (Bob) MuellerCNN's Toobin warns McCabe is in 'perilous condition' with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting The Hill's 12:30 Report: New Hampshire fallout MORE has been cleared by Department of Justice ethics experts to lead the federal probe into Russian election meddling and possible coordination between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin, a DOJ spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Mueller was appointed as special counsel for the investigation last week, but concerns were raised over his ability to conduct a broad probe, because of an ethics rule barring newly hired government employees from participating in cases involving their former employers for a year.

Before the special counsel appointment, Mueller worked at the law firm WilmerHale, whose attorneys represent former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, first daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, both of whom work in the White House. Mueller did not represent any of them while he was at the firm.

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Mueller resigned from WilmerHale after he was tapped to lead the Russia investigation.