Robert Mueller, the former FBI director and special counsel who led the probe into contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia, died at age 81 in Charlottesville, Virginia, his family said.
The family said, "With deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away last night," and noted his health had been publicly disclosed previously.
Former President Donald Trump reacted on Truth Social, writing, "Robert Mueller just died. Good, I'm glad he's dead, He can no longer hurt innocent people," and Andrew Goldstein, a deputy in Mueller's special counsel office, told CNN Mueller was "an extraordinary person and leader."
Career And The Russia Investigation
Mueller was born in New York City as the country was engaged in World War II and later earned an undergraduate degree from Princeton University before joining the Marines and serving in Vietnam, where he received multiple military decorations.
He earned further degrees at New York University and the University of Virginia and built a career as a federal prosecutor, serving as an assistant US attorney, as assistant attorney general for the criminal division at the Justice Department, and leading major investigations including the Lockerbie bombing inquiry.
Selected to lead the FBI by President George W. Bush and confirmed unanimously, Mueller stayed beyond the usual term at the request of President Barack Obama and became the longest-serving director since J. Edgar Hoover, overseeing a post-attack refocus on counterterrorism and the creation of the agency's first cyber unit.
He was later appointed special counsel to investigate possible links between the Trump campaign and Russia. His 448-page report said investigators did not establish that the campaign conspired with Russia, but documented numerous contacts and actions, including internal polling shared by campaign aides with a known Russian agent and the campaign's expectation of benefiting from information stolen and released by Russian efforts.
The report attributed hack-and-leak operations to Russian spy agencies and flagged compromises of local election systems. A CNN analysis cited in the reporting identified at least 77 instances where campaign associates or officials lied or made false statements.
Mueller's investigation led to charges against 37 people and entities, with seven people sentenced and six campaign associates convicted, including Paul Manafort and Roger Stone, who were later pardoned by President Trump, according to the accounts provided.
Mueller declined to charge a sitting president, citing Justice Department guidelines, and wrote that his team "did not make a determination as to whether the president did commit a crime." In testimony to Congress, Mueller warned of future election interference and said, "I hope this is not the new normal, but I fear it is."
