Former FBI Director Robert Mueller, who led the agency during and after 9/11 and later served as special counsel investigating Trump’s ties to Russia, died Saturday at 81. News of Mueller’s death was celebrated by President Trump.
Trump celebrates after Mueller family announces death
MS Now first reported Mueller’s death Saturday, citing two sources. Mueller’s family later confirmed his death as having occurred Friday night, releasing a statement via New York Times reporter Michael S. Schmidt: “With deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away last night. His family asks that their privacy be respected.” The statement did not mention a cause of death for Mueller, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2021.
President Trump, who was investigated by Mueller for possibly collaborating with Russia during the 2016 presidential election, reacted to Mueller’s death with a Saturday social media post: “Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people! President DONALD J. TRUMP”
In 2017, Mueller came out of retirement to serve as special counsel in the Trump-Russia investigation, shortly after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey. Mueller’s investigation led to convictions or guilty pleas for a number of close Trump associates and campaign officials. Trump regularly dismissed the investigation as a “witch hunt” and a “hoax,” and the president pardoned several of his associates near the end of his first term. Mueller’s final 2019 report did not definitively state whether Trump had committed a crime, citing Department of Justice guidelines that would have prevented Trump from being charged while president. The report did, however, declare, “If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the president clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, we are unable to reach that judgment.”
Mueller transformed the FBI after 9/11; Trump attacks political foes since being reelected
In addition to leading the Russia probe, Mueller is being remembered for his military service, work as a federal prosecutor and leadership of the FBI. Born into a prominent Manhattan family, he graduated from Princeton University and New York University before enlisting in the Marines during the Vietnam War; his combat service earned him recognition, including a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. After the war, Mueller earned a law degree from the University of Virginia and spent the majority of his legal career as a federal prosecutor, overseeing high-profile cases such as the drug trafficking case against deposed Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega and the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing, which killed 259 people over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988. Under President George W. Bush, Mueller was appointed director of the FBI, taking the position one week before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Post-9/11, Mueller revamped the FBI to devote much of its resources to fighting terrorism rather than domestic law enforcement. President Obama kept Mueller as his first FBI director, leading Mueller to have the second-longest tenure leading the bureau behind founding Director J. Edgar Hoover. Mueller retired from the role in 2013, with James Comey being the next to take the role.
Trump’s comments, meanwhile, come as the president and his administration have gone after his political foes and those involved in investigating him. Under Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Trump administration pushed federal charges against Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, who successfully prosecuted Trump and the Trump Organization for fraud. A federal court threw out the cases against Comey and James. Under Trump’s current FBI Director Kash Patel, the agency has fired multiple agents involved with investigations against Trump; two of these individuals are suing the government over their terminations. Trump also attempted to blacklist several law firms connected with the Mueller investigation.
Having spent his second term in office going after political opponents and those who attempted to hold him accountable, the president is now publicly celebrating the death of the man whose name became synonymous with investigating Trump.
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