Former FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III died Friday at the age of 81.
“It is with deep sadness that we share the news that Bob passed away on Friday evening,” his family said in a statement Saturday. “His family asks that their privacy be respected.”
Mueller served FBI As director from 2001 to 2013, he was widely credited with transforming the agency into a more effective counterterrorism force after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Mueller later served as special counsel from 2017 to 2019, leading the Justice Department’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and potential coordination with Russia. Donald Trumpcampaign, and Trump’s possible obstruction of justice.
Trump reacts to Mueller’s death truth societyposted, “Robert Mueller just passed away. Well, I’m glad he’s dead. He can’t hurt innocent people anymore!”
The blunt statement once again raised questions about why Trump is so hostile to Mueller.
Why Trump “hates” Robert Mueller?
The special counsel’s investigation has been a source of frustration for Trump throughout his presidency. He has frequently decried it as a “witch hunt,” a “hoax” and politically motivated “harassment” by “angry Democrats” and the “deep state.” Trump has repeatedly accused Mueller of personal bias and conflicts of interest, including allegations related to Mueller’s previous “colleague” relationship with fired FBI Director James Comey.
The redacted Mueller report released in April 2019 documented multiple incidents in which Trump sought to interfere with or shut down the investigation.
While Mueller did not conclude that Trump committed a crime, the report made clear: “While this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it does not exonerate him.”
However, Trump declared the report “totally exonerated,” especially after Attorney General William Barr submitted an initial summary to Congress in March 2019.
Trump wrote in a post at the time, “Bob Mueller is a great hero to the radical left Democratic Party. Now that the Mueller report is complete and the findings show no collusion and obstruction (based on our respected Attorney General’s review of the report), Democrats are going around saying, ‘Bob, sorry, didn’t know this guy.'”
When the full report became public, the analysis highlighted its more nuanced findings.
Mueller’s May 2019 press conference and subsequent congressional testimony further clarified that the report did not exonerate Trump of obstructionism, contradicting Trump’s characterization.
Even years later, Trump continues to describe the investigation as an illegal, politically driven attack.
Also read: Robert Mueller Family: Everything We Know About Former FBI Director’s Wife Ann Standish and Children
In a July 2020 Washington Post op-ed, Mueller defended his findings.
“The work of the Special Counsel’s Office — its reports, indictments, guilty pleas, and convictions — should speak for itself,” Mueller wrote.
“Discovering and tracking Russian outreach and disruption activities is a complex task,” he added.
“The investigation to understand these activities took two years and significant effort. As a result of our work, eight individuals pleaded guilty or were convicted at trial, and more than two dozen Russian individuals and entities, including senior Russian intelligence officials, were charged with federal crimes.”
