[Photo: Mueller in 2011 / FBI files]

by Howard Haykin

Special counsel Robert Mueller has so hired 12 people to his investigation team, according to Mueller’s spokesperson – as told to the NYTimes. Only a handful have been named publicly so far, but legal experts and fellow lawyers who have spoken to media in recent days lauded the new hires as a powerhouse team of experienced lawyers and investigators.

That said, several members of the team have been criticized for having donated to Democrats. On this issue, Trump tweeted: “… led by some very bad and conflicted people!"

Here are some of Mueller's new hires: [Click on BusinessInsider for more complete profiles.]

MICHAEL DREEBEN.    Dreeben, the deputy solicitor general overseeing the Department of Justice's criminal docket, is widely regarded as one of the top criminal law experts in the federal government. He will work for Mueller on the investigation part-time as he juggles the DOJ's criminal appellate cases.

ANDREW WEISSMANN.    Weissmann joined Mueller's team after taking a leave of absence from his current job leading the DOJ's criminal fraud unit. He formerly served as general counsel to the FBI under Mueller's leadership. Weissman has donated to Democrat campaigns.

JEANNIE RHEE.    Rhee is one of several attorneys to resign from the WilmerHale law firm to join Mueller's investigation. She also has two years of DOJ experience, serving as deputy assistant attorney general under former Attorney General Eric Holder.

Rhee has donated to Democrat campaigns.

JAMES QUARLES.    Quarles is another of Mueller's former WilmerHale colleagues, who left the firm to join the special counsel investigation. Quarles is a well-respected, longtime litigator who served as an assistant special prosecutor in the Watergate investigation early in his career - experience that gives him a significant edge in the Trump-Russia probe, according to colleagues. Quarles has donated to Democrat campaigns.

AARON ZEBLEY.    Zebley, like Quarles and Rhee, left WilmerHale to work on Mueller’s investigation. He’s a longtime FBI staffer who spent years in the counterterrorism division as a special agent before becoming the agency’s chief of staff under Mueller's leadership. Between FBI stints, Zebley served as assistant US attorney in the national security and terrorism unit. He then moved to the DOJ’s national security division before eventually joining the WilmerHale firm in 2014.