---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On May 17, twelve days after FBI director…"
description: "\"“On May 17, twelve days after FBI director Comey was fired, without consulting the White House or the attorney general, Rosenstein appointed former FBI..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/michael-wolff-423_attorney-general_on-may-17-twelve-days-after-fbi-director_2583032.jpg"
---

#  On May 17, twelve days after FBI director Comey was fired…

![“On May 17, twelve days after FBI director Comey was fired, without consulting the White House or the attorney general, Rosenstein appointed former FBI director Robert Mueller to oversee the investigation of Trump’s, his campaign’s, and his staff’s ties to Russia.” quote by Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/michael-wolff-423_attorney-general_on-may-17-twelve-days-after-fbi-director_2583032.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/michael-wolff-423_attorney-general_on-may-17-twelve-days-after-fbi-director_2583032.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/michael-wolff-423_attorney-general_on-may-17-twelve-days-after-fbi-director_2583032.jpg)

> ““On May 17, twelve days after FBI director Comey was fired, without consulting the White House or the attorney general, Rosenstein appointed former FBI director Robert Mueller to oversee the investigation of Trump’s, his campaign’s, and his staff’s ties to Russia.””

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

After a high‑profile dismissal, a senior official appointed a former director to lead a politically sensitive investigation without consulting top leaders.

**In simple terms:** A controversial appointment was made without usual consultation.

Key Takeaway

Question the process of political appointments.

Themes

politics power accountability legal process

Mood

critical skeptical analytical

Type

political legal media

When to use this quote

- government investigations
- media scrutiny
- public trust

Key Concepts

institutional checks executive authority political strategy

Questions to Reflect On

- What safeguards exist for independent investigations?
- How does bypassing usual channels affect public confidence?

A Different Perspective

Such moves can undermine perceived legitimacy and transparency.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Attorney general](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attorney-general/) [Comey Fired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comey-fired-1793549/) [Fbi Director](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fbi-director-362354/) [Investigation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investigation/) [Mueller Oversee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mueller-oversee-1793547/) [Robert Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robert-mueller-1698052/) [Rosenstein Appointed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rosenstein-appointed-1793551/) [White house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-house/)

## Related quotes

> [The special council is Robert Mueller, and he's worked for both parties. He's held positions in both party administrations. He's former FBI director. He's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-special-council-is-robert-mueller-and-he-s-worked-for-both/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [The public has every right to see Robert S. Mueller III's conclusions. Absolutely nothing in the law or the regulations prevents the report from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-katyal/the-public-has-every-right-to-see-robert-s-mueller-iii-s-conclusions/)

[Neal Katyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-katyal/)

> [We haven't seen a situation where you have the FBI director talk about an investigation side by side with the attorney general who confirms,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-gonzales/we-haven-t-seen-a-situation-where-you-have-the-fbi-director-talk/)

[Alberto Gonzales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-gonzales/)

> [“the firing of FBI director James Comey may be the most consequential move ever made by a modern president acting entirely on his own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-firing-of-fbi-director-james-comey-may-be-the-most-consequential/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“It had personally pained Trump not to be able to give it to him. But if the Republican establishment had not wanted Trump, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/it-had-personally-pained-trump-not-to-be-able-to-give-it-to-him-but/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“Even before there was reason to suspect Sally Yates, they suspected her. The transition report said Trump wouldn’t like the fifty-six-year-old Atlanta-born University of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/even-before-there-was-reason-to-suspect-sally-yates-they-suspected/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [President Trump is a defense lawyer's worst nightmare - and a dream defendant for special counsel Robert Mueller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asha-rangappa/president-trump-is-a-defense-lawyer-s-worst-nightmare-and-a-dream/)

[Asha Rangappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asha-rangappa/)

> [Robert Mueller himself has perhaps the best and the cleanest reputation in all of official Washington. He is Mr. Integrity. He is Mr. Cultured.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/robert-mueller-himself-has-perhaps-the-best-and-the-cleanest/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [There are three popular theories being bandied about to explain Robert Mueller investigation, but we have to remember that it was the Donald Trump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/there-are-three-popular-theories-being-bandied-about-to-explain/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [The Trump enemies don't care that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has concluded that President Trump was telling the truth when he said over and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kirk/the-trump-enemies-don-t-care-that-special-counsel-robert-mueller-has/)

[Charlie Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kirk/)

> [There's a theory that nobody believes. That Robert Mueller is Mr. Honest and Mr. Integrity, has no preconceived notion and is really gonna look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/there-s-a-theory-that-nobody-believes-that-robert-mueller-is-mr/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [Appointing special counsel Robert Mueller to probe Russian meddling in the 2016 election (and any possible ties to President Trump's campaign) was the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-katyal/appointing-special-counsel-robert-mueller-to-probe-russian-meddling/)

[Neal Katyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-katyal/)

> [Everything having to do with President Trump and Russia, whether it is Mr. Trump's demand for an investigation into the investigation by the special…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-katyal/everything-having-to-do-with-president-trump-and-russia-whether-it-is/)

[Neal Katyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-katyal/)

> [If Robert Mueller is gonna return after Russian's influence investigation and say, "We looked at everything, and, I'm sorry, there's just nothing here. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/if-robert-mueller-is-gonna-return-after-russian-s-influence/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [If you are looking for someone to break the mold, the last guy you look to is Robert Mueller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-katyal/if-you-are-looking-for-someone-to-break-the-mold-the-last-guy-you/)

[Neal Katyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-katyal/)

## More by Michael Wolff

> [Donald Trump doesn't necessarily stay mad for very long. He's a transactional guy. If you can offer him something, he will take it. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/donald-trump-doesn-t-necessarily-stay-mad-for-very-long-he-s-a/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“he could yet make a case for a straight line from Nixon to Trump.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/he-could-yet-make-a-case-for-a-straight-line-from-nixon-to-trump/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“it confirmed Bannon’s worst fear: Trump, in his true heart, was a marshmallow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/it-confirmed-bannon-s-worst-fear-trump-in-his-true-heart-was-a/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“An important aspect of Kaplan’s New York Observer and its self-conscious inside media baseball was that the paper became the prime school for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/an-important-aspect-of-kaplan-s-new-york-observer-and-its-self/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“The candidate who billed himself as a billionaire—ten times over—refused even to invest his own money in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-candidate-who-billed-himself-as-a-billionaire-ten-times-over/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [If institutions don't grow, they... well, I don't know what happens to them, because they always grow. I suppose the point is that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/if-institutions-don-t-grow-they-well-i-don-t-know-what-happens-to/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“Even though Trump liked to portray his business as an empire, it was actually a discrete holding company and boutique enterprise,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/even-though-trump-liked-to-portray-his-business-as-an-empire-it-was/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“the organizational premise of the Trump White House: the family would always prevail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-organizational-premise-of-the-trump-white-house-the-family-would/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“Trump, who referred to the Chinese leader as “Mr. X-i”; the president was told to think of him as a woman and call him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/trump-who-referred-to-the-chinese-leader-as-mr-x-i-the-president-was/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“Donald Trump, even more than his father, was perceived as a vulgarian—after all, he put his name on his buildings, quite a déclassé thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/donald-trump-even-more-than-his-father-was-perceived-as-a-vulgarian/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“The index that appeared in the print version of this title does not match the pages in your e-book. Please use the search function…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-index-that-appeared-in-the-print-version-of-this-title-does-not/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“Trump liked to say that one of the things that made life worth living was getting your friends’ wives into bed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/trump-liked-to-say-that-one-of-the-things-that-made-life-worth-living/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“The kids”—Jared and Ivanka—exhibited an increasingly panicked sense that the FBI and DOJ were moving beyond Russian election interference and into family finances. “Ivanka…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-kids-jared-and-ivanka-exhibited-an-increasingly-panicked-sense/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [I am old enough to think the word 'journalist' is not all that noble a designation. Journalist - that record keeper, quote taker and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/i-am-old-enough-to-think-the-word-journalist-is-not-all-that-noble-a/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“Politics had seemed to become, even well before the age of Trump, a mortal affair. It was now zero-sum: When one side profited, another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/politics-had-seemed-to-become-even-well-before-the-age-of-trump-a/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

[Explore all 570 Michael Wolff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

## More Attorney general quotes

> [My wife and daughters work. My campaign manager in 2005 was a working mother. I appointed 5 women to my senior staff as Attorney General.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-mcdonnell/my-wife-and-daughters-work-my-campaign-manager-in-2005-was-a-working/)

[Bob McDonnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-mcdonnell/)

> [On March 12, 2004, acting attorney general James B. Comey and the Justice Department's top leadership reached the brink of resignation over electronic surveillance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/on-march-12-2004-acting-attorney-general-james-b-comey-and-the/)

[Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/)

> [Protecting the rights of service members was an important part of my work as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perez/protecting-the-rights-of-service-members-was-an-important-part-of-my/)

[Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/)

> [“The farm labor movement saw him as a racist. He seemed to delight in the most outrageous snubs. Farm labor organizer Cesar Chavez was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jana-bommersbach/the-farm-labor-movement-saw-him-as-a-racist-he-seemed-to-delight-in/)

[Jana Bommersbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jana-bommersbach/)

> [I am asking my Attorney General to create a special unit of federal prosecutors and leading state attorneys general to expand our investigations into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-am-asking-my-attorney-general-to-create-a-special-unit-of-federal/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [It was a privilege to serve as the assistant attorney general for civil rights, a role that allowed me to enforce the Civil Rights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perez/it-was-a-privilege-to-serve-as-the-assistant-attorney-general-for/)

[Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/)

> [In other words, under Attorney General John Ashcroft, the FBI, the INS and the Department of Justice are so out of control that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/in-other-words-under-attorney-general-john-ashcroft-the-fbi-the-ins/)

[Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/)

> [Our country is fortunate to have Bill Barr, a man of integrity who has served two U.S. Presidents, as our Attorney General.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-braun/our-country-is-fortunate-to-have-bill-barr-a-man-of-integrity-who-has/)

[Mike Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-braun/)

> [If I am going to pick and choose the laws I defend, I wouldn't be doing my duty as attorney general.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ayotte/if-i-am-going-to-pick-and-choose-the-laws-i-defend-i-wouldn-t-be/)

[Kelly Ayotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ayotte/)

> [We've done amazing things for the state. Some of them have had a national impact, but I'm going to be ready for some new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-madigan/we-ve-done-amazing-things-for-the-state-some-of-them-have-had-a/)

[Lisa Madigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-madigan/)

> [“records in any form I request under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act within thirty days and for a reasonable handling and processing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-rosenthal/records-in-any-form-i-request-under-the-health-insurance-portability/)

[Elisabeth Rosenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-rosenthal/)

> [Since my election as Oklahoma attorney general in 2010, I have been a proud member of a group of federalism-minded state attorneys general who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pruitt/since-my-election-as-oklahoma-attorney-general-in-2010-i-have-been-a/)

[Scott Pruitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pruitt/)

> [Now, how do you explain Obama's claim, that he can kill American citizens without due process? Well, he has his attorney general get up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-mcgovern/now-how-do-you-explain-obama-s-claim-that-he-can-kill-american/)

[Ray McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-mcgovern/)

> [What disturbed me most, frankly, about the Rod Rosenstein memo, is the fact it was addressed to the attorney general. The attorney general was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-schiff/what-disturbed-me-most-frankly-about-the-rod-rosenstein-memo-is-the/)

[Adam Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-schiff/)

> [Our laws are very clear on a woman's reproductive health care. I will not only enforce those laws as attorney general, I will take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-donovan/our-laws-are-very-clear-on-a-woman-s-reproductive-health-care-i-will/)

[Dan Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-donovan/)

[Browse all 289 Attorney general quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attorney-general/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“On May 17, twelve days after FBI director Comey was fired, without consulting the White House or the attorney general, Rosenstein appointed former FBI director Robert Mueller to oversee the investigation of Trump’s, his campaign’s, and his staff’s ties to Russia.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael Wolff"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/on-may-17-twelve-days-after-fbi-director-comey-was-fired-without/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Attorney general"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/on-may-17-twelve-days-after-fbi-director-comey-was-fired-without/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/michael-wolff-423_attorney-general_on-may-17-twelve-days-after-fbi-director_2583032.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/michael-wolff-423_attorney-general_on-may-17-twelve-days-after-fbi-director_2583032.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/michael-wolff-423_attorney-general_on-may-17-twelve-days-after-fbi-director_2583032.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“On May 17, twelve days after FBI director Comey was fired, without consulting the White House or the…” — Michael Wolff",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Michael Wolff",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“On May 17, twelve days after...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/on-may-17-twelve-days-after-fbi-director-comey-was-fired-without/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/on-may-17-twelve-days-after-fbi-director-comey-was-fired-without/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
