Robert Mueller, former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) who led the investigation into alleged Russian interference in Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign, died at the age of 81 this Friday, 20. The death was confirmed by the family in a statement, without specifying the cause or place of death. Mueller had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
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“With profound sadness, we share the news of Bob’s passing last night,” the family said in a statement. The President of the United States, Donald Trump, reacted to the death on his social network, Truth Social.
“Robert Mueller just passed away. Well, I’m glad he’s gone. He can no longer harm innocent people!” Trump wrote.
A New Yorker born in 1944, Mueller headed the FBI for 12 years, between 2001 and 2013, and took office a week before the September 11 attacks, after a long career as a prosecutor.
In 2017, the Department of Justice appointed him special counsel to investigate whether the Trump campaign had contact with Russian agents to ensure the Republican’s victory in the previous year’s elections.
In the end, the investigation found that Russia conducted a broad operation to influence the 2016 election, with the dissemination of fake news and improper access to Democrats’ emails, but found no evidence of conspiracy with the Trump campaign.
Two years after the investigation began, Mueller testified to the US Congress about the case, which Trump repeatedly called political persecution.
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