The Obama administration’s political fabrication spun from abusing national intelligence continues to do major damage to the current president. Democrats’ successful effort in obtaining Jeff Sessions’s recusal from the Russia investigation has paid off in spades. Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein announced yesterday that the DOJ will appoint former FBI director Robert Mueller as a special counsel to oversee the investigation into Russian interference in the election. This should set off alarm bells for the Trump administration. In the past, such investigators far exceeded the original scope of their investigation and found violations of the law in other matters. There has been no evidence of collusion, the original justification for the probe, but there are serious concerns about the individual behavior of Michael Flynn. While unlikely that any wrongdoing is found with respect to Russia, there is ample opening for the investigation to expand beyond the scope of collusion and look at any potentially criminal conduct in the broader administration.

The concerns for the Trump administration are numerous, but there is a glimmer of hope, Robert Mueller. If he constrains his investigation to look at collusion with Russia, there is the chance that it will shut down the conspiracy theory while not embroiling the Trump administration in other disputes. He has a very strong reputation on both sides of the aisle and there are few more likely to conduct an investigation limited to the specific allegations. Despite the chance to lay to rest the Russia story, the more likely outcome will be a probe that goes far beyond its initial aim. Power is inherently corrupting and no administration in history has been without its blemishes. There will be something found if Mueller searches long enough. Beyond hoping for a just and limited investigation, the Trump administration needs carefully conduct itself if it wants to minimize the damage. History warns against expecting either outcome and early indications don’t look good.