Robert Mueller Dies: Former Special Counsel & FBI Director Was 81

Robert Mueller, the former FBI director who led the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election and potential obstruction of justice by President Donald Trump, died Friday night at age 81, his family announced Saturday.

Mueller’s death was reported by the New York Times, which relayed a statement from his family requesting privacy. The passing of the former special counsel comes more than four years after the conclusion of a politically charged investigation that dominated much of Trump’s first term.

Appointed in May 2017 by then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, Mueller’s investigation resulted in the indictment or securing of guilty pleas from 34 individuals and three companies, including six former Trump aides, according to reports. Twenty-six Russians and three Russian companies were also implicated. Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security advisor, pleaded guilty to lying to investigators.

The investigation ultimately concluded that Russia had interfered in the 2016 election with the intention of benefiting Trump’s campaign. However, the report did not establish sufficient evidence to conclude that members of the Trump campaign knowingly conspired with the Russian government. Mueller’s team did detail numerous instances where Trump attempted to influence the investigation, but declined to prosecute him, stating they could not definitively determine that he had committed obstruction of justice.

“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,” Mueller’s report stated. “Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, we are unable to reach that judgment.”

Attorney General William Barr and Rosenstein subsequently determined that the evidence was insufficient to charge the president with obstruction.

Prior to his role as special counsel, Mueller served as FBI director from 2001 to 2013, the longest tenure in the position since J. Edgar Hoover. He was initially nominated by President George W. Bush and later had his term extended by President Barack Obama with unanimous Senate approval. His leadership of the FBI was profoundly shaped by the September 11th terrorist attacks, prompting a significant shift in the agency’s focus towards intelligence gathering and counterterrorism efforts.

Mueller’s career also included significant prosecutorial work, overseeing the cases of Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega and New York mob boss John Gotti, as well as leading the investigation into the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. He began his legal career in Boston in 1971, later serving as a U.S. Attorney in both California and Massachusetts.

In 2004, Mueller and Deputy Attorney General James Comey reportedly considered resigning over disagreements with the Bush administration regarding a domestic wiretapping program they believed to be illegal. The program was ultimately not reauthorized.

Following the announcement of Mueller’s death, former President Trump posted a message on his social media platform, Truth Social, stating, “Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

A spokesperson for the law firm WilmerHale, where Mueller worked after his government service, told NBC News that the firm “mourns the passing of our friend and former partner, Bob Mueller. Bob was an extraordinary leader and public servant and a person of the greatest integrity.”