{"id":204906,"date":"2026-03-21T21:21:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T21:21:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/robert-mueller-former-special-counsel-who-led-trump-russia-probe-dies-at-81-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2026-03-21T21:21:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T21:21:26","slug":"robert-mueller-former-special-counsel-who-led-trump-russia-probe-dies-at-81-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/robert-mueller-former-special-counsel-who-led-trump-russia-probe-dies-at-81-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Robert Mueller, former special counsel who led Trump-Russia probe, dies at 81 – NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Robert Mueller III, the long-serving FBI director who later served as the special counsel overseeing the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, has died. He was 81.
In a statement, his family said: \u201cWith deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away last night. His family asks that their privacy be respected.\u201d
Separately, <\/strong>a spokesperson for the law firm where Mueller worked, WilmerHale, told NBC News: \u201cWilmerHale 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.\u201d
\u201cHis service to our country, including as a decorated officer in the Marine Corps, as FBI Director, and at the Department of Justice, was exemplary and inspiring,\u201d the statement added. \u201cWe are deeply proud that he was our partner. Our thoughts are with Bob\u2019s family and loved ones during this time.\u201d
Last year, Mueller\u2019s family told The New York Times he had been diagnosed<\/a> with Parkinson\u2019s disease in 2021.
Mueller served as FBI director under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
He was first nominated to the post by Bush in 2001 and went on to be the second-longest-serving FBI director in history.
Mueller was originally confirmed by a Senate vote of 98-0 and began his job just days before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
In a 2014 speech<\/a>, Mueller recalled Bush\u2019s main question to him in the days after the attack: \u201cWhat is the FBI doing to prevent the next terrorist attack?\u201d
Mueller recalled not having an answer at the time but shifting the mission of the FBI in the following years to get one.
\u201cNo longer could our metric be the number of arrests, number of indictments, number of convictions,\u201d he added. \u201cIt was answering that one question.\u201d
Mueller\u2019s tenure as FBI director continued under the Obama administration, with the Democratic president even asking Mueller to stay on beyond the traditional 10-year term for FBI directors. He stepped down in 2013.
In a post on X Saturday, Obama called Mueller \u201cone of the finest directors in the history of the FBI.\u201d
He credited Mueller with \u201ctransforming the bureau after 9\/11 and saving countless lives,\u201d adding: \u201cIt 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\u2019s family, and everyone who knew and admired him.\u201d
In 2017, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed<\/a> him as special counsel to look into Russia\u2019s efforts to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election and any links to the Trump campaign.
Mueller became a frequent target of President Donald Trump\u2019s after the special counsel released a report <\/a>detailing the investigation\u2019s findings.
The report found that Russia interfered in the 2016 election in a sweeping and systematic fashion, including efforts to boost Trump\u2019s campaign and damage that of his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton. It did not establish a criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia.
Following news of Mueller\u2019s death, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social: \u201cRobert Mueller just died. Good, I\u2019m glad he\u2019s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!\u201d
The report also detailed Trump\u2019s frustrations when he learned that a special counsel had been appointed to investigate his campaign and potential ties to Russia.
He called it \u201cthe worst thing that ever happened to me,\u201d according to the report.
In 2019, Trump also called Mueller a \u201ctrue never-Trumper<\/a>\u201d after the report came out.
Trump\u2019s attacks on Mueller continued in 2025, at the start of his second term, when he signed an executive order severing ties<\/a> between WilmerHale and the federal government.
At the time, Trump said the law firm had \u201crewarded\u201d Mueller, accusing him of using his \u201cprosecutorial power to upend the democratic process and distort justice.\u201d
Later, the Justice Department dropped efforts<\/a> to target WilmerHale and other law firms after multiple judges ruled the move unconstitutional.
When he worked as special counsel during Trump\u2019s first administration, Mueller was well regarded by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle due to his extensive legal career.
Mueller was also a military veteran who served in the Marine Corps as an officer for three years after completing a bachelor\u2019s degree from Princeton University and a master\u2019s degree from New York University.
He was awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry for his military service.
Mueller was born in New York City and raised in Philadelphia. He pursued his law degree at the University of Virginia and graduated in 1973.
He went on to work at the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the Northern District of California in San Francisco and later at the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the District of Massachusetts. Mueller first took a post at the Justice Department in 1989 and served as the assistant to then-U.S. Attorney General Richard L. Thornburgh.
Alexandra Marquez is a politics reporter for NBC News.
© 2026 NBCUniversal Media, LLC<\/p>\n

source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

news AlertsThere are no new alerts at this timeRobert Mueller III, the long-serving FBI director who later served as the special counsel overseeing the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, has died. He was 81.In a statement, his family said: \u201cWith deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away last […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":204907,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-204906","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-us","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=204906"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204906\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/204907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=204906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=204906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=204906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}