Robert Mueller III, the second-longest serving FBI director in the agency’s history, who later served as the special counsel who oversaw the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, has died. He was 81.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the law firm where Mueller worked, WilmerHale, told NBC News, “WilmerHale 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.”
They added, “His 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. We are deeply proud that he was our partner. Our thoughts are with Bob’s family and loved ones during this time.”
Mueller served as FBI director under former 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, Mueller recalled Bush’s main question to him in the days after the attack: “What is the FBI doing to prevent the next terrorist attack?”
Mueller recalled not having an answer at the time, but shifting the mission of the FBI in the following years to get one.
“No longer could our metric be the number of arrests, number of indictments, number of convictions,” he added. “It was answering that one question.”
Mueller’s tenure as FBI director continued under the Obama administration, with the former president even asking Mueller to stay on beyond the traditional FBI director term of 10 years. He stepped down in 2013.
In 2017, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed him as special counsel to look into Russia’s 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 after he released a report detailing his findings on the investigation.
The report found that Russia interfered with the 2016 election in a sweeping and systemic fashion, including efforts to boost Trump’s 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’s death, Trump wrote in post on Truth Social: “Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!”
The report also detailed Trump’s frustrations when he learned that a special counsel had been appointed to investigate his campaign and potential ties to Russia.
He called it “the worst thing that ever happened to me,” according to the report.
In 2019, Trump also called Mueller a “true never-Trumper,” after the report came out.
Trump’s attacks on Mueller continued in 2025, at the start of his second term when he signed an executive order severing ties between the law firm Mueller worked for, WilmerHale, and the federal government.
At the time, Trump said WilmerHale had “rewarded” Mueller, accusing him of using his “prosecutorial power to upend the democratic process and distort justice.”
Later, the Justice Department dropped efforts to target WilmerHale and other law firms after multiple judges ruled the move unconstitutional.
When he worked as special counsel during Trump’s first administration, Mueller was regarded well 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 bachelors degree from Princeton University and a masters 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 J.D at the University of Virginia and graduated in 1973.
He went on to work at the San Francisco location of the Office of the U.S. Attorney, Northern District of California, and later at the Office of the U.S. Attorney in the District of Massachusetts. Mueller first took a post at the Justice Department in 1989 and served as the assistant to the then-U.S. Attorney General, Richard L. Thornburgh.
