Former FBI Director and special counsel Robert Mueller has died at age 81.
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday, saying he was “glad.”
“Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!” Trump wrote.
Mueller directed the bureau for 12 years, starting just before the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and working until September 2013. In 2017, Mueller was appointed to serve as the special counsel in charge of investigating alleged ties between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia.
“With deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away” on Friday night, Mueller’s family said in a statement to the Associated Press on Saturday. “His family asks that their privacy be respected.”
Mueller was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2021; his family announced the diagnosis in 2025.
Mueller came back into the spotlight in 2025 when the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee initially subpoenaed him as part of the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. The committee dropped the subpoena due to his declining health after learning of his Parkinson’s diagnosis.
The House oversight committee also withdrew its subpoena of former FBI Director James Comey.
Mueller served as the second-longest FBI director in history, behind J. Edgar Hoover. He was unanimously confirmed in 2001 after former President George W. Bush appointed him. He led the transformation of the agency to focus on counterterrorism and national security efforts in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
ROBERT MUELLER HAS HAD PARKINSON’S DISEASE FOR PAST FOUR YEARS: REPORT
But Mueller’s bipartisan support eroded when he began probing the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia, mounting a nearly two-year investigation into the alleged Russian interference. Many Republicans and the President called the inquiry a “witch hunt.” The Mueller report, released in 2019, ultimately found no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
Mueller served as an officer in the Marine Corps for three years during the Vietnam War. He received a Bronze Star, two Navy Commendation Medals, the Purple Heart, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry as a result of his service.
