By Jacki Thrapp
Former FBI director Robert S. Mueller III died on March 20, according to a statement by his family. He was 81.
“With deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away,” his family revealed in a statement on Saturday.
Mueller served as the FBI director between September 2001 and September 2013.
Most recently, Mueller served as special counsel in charge of investigating alleged ties between President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia.
Mueller in 2019 reached the conclusion in his final report on his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election that neither Trump nor any member of his campaign colluded with Russia.
“The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government,” Mueller’s final report states.
The Special Counsel’s Office in its wide-ranging probe, which cost an estimated $25 million, issued nearly 3,000 subpoenas, executed nearly 500 search-and-seizure warrants, and interviewed approximately 500 witnesses, including almost 80 before a grand jury during its investigation.
In addition to clearing Trump of all allegations of colluding with Russia, special counsel Mueller’s final report removed any remaining credibility from the infamous Steele dossier, which fueled some of the wildest speculations about alleged ties between Trump, his associates, and the Kremlin.
Trump quickly reacted to Mueller’s death on Saturday.
“Robert Mueller just died,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on March 21. “Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
Mueller was born in New York, grew up outside Philadelphia, and graduated from Princeton University in 1966 before he secured a master’s degree in International Relations at New York University.
He then joined the United States Marine Corps as an officer and led a rifle platoon of the Third Marine Division in Vietnam, according to his bio on the FBI’s website.
During his time in the military he was awarded the Bronze Star, two Navy Commendation Medals, and the Purple Heart.
Mueller returned to school after he left the military and earned a law degree from the University of Virginia Law School in 1973.
Mueller then worked as a litigator in San Francisco, assistant U.S. attorney in Boston, served as partner in the private sector, and was eventually named U.S. attorney in San Francisco, which was a position he held until President George W. Bush nominated him to become the sixth director of the FBI.
He took over as FBI director just days before the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and served under the Bush and Obama administrations as FBI director until September 4, 2013.
Ivan Pentchoukov and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
