Fmr FBI Director and special counsel Robert Mueller Dies

Former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Robert Swan Mueller, who served as special counsel in charge of investigating purported ties between President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia, has died at age 81.

“With deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away last night. His family asks that their privacy be respected,” Mueller’s family said in a statement relayed by The New York Times’ Michael S. Schmidt on Saturday.

Robert Mueller has died.

Statement from the Family of Robert S. Mueller III

“With deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away last night. His family asks that their privacy be respected.”

— Michael S. Schmidt (@nytmike) March 21, 2026

Mueller had a long career before he passed. After earning a bachelor’s degree from Princeton, he was a Marine who served in Vietnam for three years. He received the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, and several other awards for his service.

 

He served as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts from 1986 to 1987 under President Ronald Reagan. He then moved up to the U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division from 1990 to 1993 under President George H. W. Bush. Under former President Bill Clinton, he was the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California from 1998 to 2001, then served as the acting U.S Deputy Attorney General for a brief period in 2001, under former President George W. Bush.

Mueller was the 6^th FBI director from September 4, 2001, to September 4, 2013.

During his tenure, the bureau made drastic shifts in the wake of the September 11^th Islamic terror attacks in 2001. The mission changed from crime, which Mueller was familiar with, to counterterrorism, reallocating about 2,000 of the FBI’s 5,000 agents to national security work from cases such as drug and white-collar offenses. The FBI also established the National Security Branch and expanded Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs).

 

He returned to the private sector for a period in which he was a lecturer at Stanford University and worked as an attorney. He then returned to public life as Special Counsel for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) from 2017 to 2019.

Mueller led the charge to look into Russian collusion in Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, which shadowed much of his presidency. He compiled his findings in the Mueller Report. Ultimately, he found no criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia.

In September, House Oversight Committee Chairman Representative James Comer (R-Ky.) subpoenaed Mueller to testify for a Jeffrey Epstein investigation, but withdrew it after the committee learned that he had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

 

The former FBI leader was diagnosed in 2021. His family said at the time that he had difficulty speaking and his mobility was hampered, leaving him unable to appear before Congress.

Former President Obama responded to Mueller’s passing on X.

“Bob Mueller was one of the finest directors in the history of the FBI, transforming the bureau after 9/11 and saving countless lives,” he wrote. “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. Michelle and I send our condolences to Bob’s family, and everyone who knew and admired him.”

 

Bob Mueller was one of the finest directors in the history of the FBI, transforming the bureau after 9/11 and saving countless lives. 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…

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 21, 2026

President Trump commented that now that Mueller has passed, “He can no longer hurt innocent people!”