WASHINGTON — American Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Anthony D. Romero issued the following statement on the appointment of Robert Mueller to serve as special counsel for the Russia investigation:

“We welcome the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Russia’s meddling in our elections, a critically necessary step given the conflicts of interest present at the Trump administration’s highest levels.

“We applaud the selection of Robert Mueller, former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, for that role. While we sued the FBI on multiple occasions under Mueller's leadership, we are confident that he can and will carry out an independent investigation.

“It is critical that the investigation encompass not just Russia’s interference in the election, but also the Trump administration’s apparent efforts to interfere with that investigation. And it remains critical that a select congressional committee take up the matter, because only such a committee can give this issue the public airing that it warrants, given the serious questions about the rule of law and presidential misconduct that are involved.”