Robert Mueller, the ex-FBI director who probed alleged ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign as special counsel, has died. He was 81 years old. “With deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away” on Friday night, his family said in a statement on Saturday, according to the Associated Press.
Trump reacted with a celebratory tone to the news of the former FBI chief’s death. “Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!” the president said in a post on Truth Social. The reaction bore an accurate reflection of his disdain towards Mueller and his probe, which he would persistently describe as a “witch hunt.”
Mueller, whose full name was Robert Mueller III, is credited with leading the FBI’s transformation from a law enforcement agency to a terrorism-fighting force in the aftermath of 9/11. His 12-year tenure as the director of the premier US agency began just one week before the devastating terror attacks.
Mueller’s stint at the helm of the FBI spanned across presidents of both political parties. He was nominated by Republican President George W. Bush.
He retired from the post in 2013 but was summoned back to public service four years later by a high-ranking Justice Department official as a special counsel to investigate whether Trump’s 2016 campaign, which ultimately led to the Republican’s first presidency, illegally coordinated with Russia to influence the outcome of the presidential race.
The investigation, which went on for 22 months, resulted in indictments against 34 people, including several Trump associates as well as Russian intelligence officers and three Russian companies.
It also led to a series of guilty pleas and convictions. Mueller eventually stopped short of a criminal indictment of Trump, bitterly disappointing many Democrats.
His 448-page report into the high-profile investigation, released in April 2019, identified substantial contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia but did not allege a criminal conspiracy.
Mueller laid out damaging details about Trump’s attempts to seize control of the probe, and even shut it down. He, however, declined to decide whether the leader was in contravention of the law, in part because of the Justice Department’s policy barring the indictment of a sitting president.
(With inputs from agencies)
