Former FBI Director Robert Mueller, who probed supposed Russian election interference, dies
Robert Mueller, the former FBI director who led the investigation into allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election, died Friday at the age of 81.
“It is with deep sadness that we share the news of Bob’s passing,” his family said in a statement Saturday to The Associated Press. “His family asks that their privacy be respected.”
The cause of death was not immediately known, but Mr. Mueller suffered from Parkinson’s disease, according to his family.
Mr. Mueller, whose tenure as head of the FBI ran from 2001 to 2013, conducted his two-year investigation into President Trump while he was a special adviser to the Justice Department.
The investigation found no evidence that the Trump campaign or its associates conspired or coordinated with Russia to influence the outcome of the 2016 election.
Mr. Trump and his MAGA supporters have called the Mueller investigation a witch hunt and a hoax.
The president responded Saturday by posting on Truth Social: “Robert Mueller just died. Well, I’m glad he’s dead. He can’t hurt innocent people anymore!”
Democrats – and one Republican – criticized the president’s comment.
“The cruelty is the point,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, said on social media. “Trump’s goal is to distract you from rising gas prices, his aimless war, ICE abuses, and the Epstein files. Don’t give him what he wants. And may Robert Mueller, U.S. Marine and longtime public servant, rest in peace.”
Representative Don Bacon told Politico that Mr. Trump’s statement was “clearly false” and demonstrated “unchristian behavior.”
“The vast majority of Americans want better,” added the Nebraska Republican.
Some Republicans have sided with Mr. Trump, also accusing Mr. Mueller of leading a Russia investigation that many conservatives say was set up by a false narrative supported by Hillary Clinton.
The president’s former political adviser, Roger Stone, said on social media: “Robert Mueller’s judgment has been moved to a much higher court. May he burn in hell.”
Conservative activist Laura Loomer wrote that the president “said what everyone is thinking. We shouldn’t be sad when bad people die.”
Mr. Mueller spent more than four decades in law enforcement as a prosecutor, U.S. Attorney, deputy attorney general and director of the FBI.
His 12 years as head of the FBI began just before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, after he was appointed by President George W. Bush and transformed the agency into a counterterrorism force. He was the second longest-serving FBI director in history.
