Robert Mueller, who probed Trump as special counsel, dies at 81
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Quick Summary
Robert Mueller, the former FBI director who as special counsel probed President Trump and Russian interference in the 2016 election, has died at age 81, per multiple reports Saturday. The big picture: Mueller's probe resulted in a series of criminal cases against people in Trump's orbit, and earned him the president's lasting ire.
"Robert Mueller just died. Good, I'm glad he's dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!" Trump posted to Truth Social Saturday.
Screenshot: Truth Social Driving the news: Mueller died Friday night, the New York Times reported, citing his family.
His family said last year he was battling Parkinson's disease. Mueller and his wife, Ann, had two children.
Flashback: In 2017, deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein named Mueller to lead a probe into allegations Russia had conspired with others to interfere with, and influence the outcome of, the 2016 election.
Mueller, who led the FBI for 12 years in the Bush and Obama administrations, spent nearly two years assembling a team and probing those questions.
In the end, the report found no conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, though it neither implicated nor cleared the president himself of obstructing justice. Flashback: Mueller served in the U.S. Marines Corps and was the recipient of the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, per his FBI bio.
He worked as a litigator and completed several stints in public service, eventually becoming the U.S. attorney in San Francisco. President George W. Bush tapped him in July 2001 to serve as FBI director, applauding his "high ideals ... clear sense of purpose and ... tested devotion to his country." He was sworn in just days before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and became the second-longest-serving FBI director in history.
Recalling Mueller's twelve years of service in 2013, then-President Obama said, "I'll say it as clearly as I can — countless Americans are alive today, and our country is more secure, because of the FBI's outstanding work under the leadership of Bob Mueller."
On Saturday, Obama remembered him as "one of the finest directors in the history of the FBI." The former president continued, "But it was his relentless commitment to the rule of law and his unwavering belief in our bedrock values that made him one of the most respected public servants of our time."
Editor's note: This story has been updated with new details throughout.