Do not consider President Donald Trump among the fond well-wishers for former FBI director Robert Mueller.
Mueller, who died Friday at the age of 81, after a multi-year battle with Parkinson’s disease, served as special counsel in an investigation into Trump and his campaign’s relationship with Russia and possible interference during the 2016 election. As condolences for Mueller’s service to the United States as FBI director circulated online, Trump offered a curt statement on his Truth Social account on Saturday.
“Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!” Trump wrote.
In 2019, Mueller issued his final report on the matter, concluding that Russia did interfere in the 2016 presidential election. However, he did not allege a criminal conspiracy had taken place between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. However, his 400+ page report found that the Trump administration repeatedly attempted to seize control of his investigation and even to have it shut down.
“If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the president clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, we are unable to reach that judgment,” Mueller noted in his report.
Trump has repeatedly called Mueller’s investigation into him and his first campaign a “hoax” and laid the blame at former President Barack Obama’s feet for it continuing. Last summer, Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and John Cornyn (R-TX) called for an investigation into Trump’s belief that Obama and his staff had undermined his campaign.
Ultimately, the investigation led to several Trump associates being found guilty of various crimes, including Roger Stone, George Papadopoulos, Rick Gates and others. In later years, Mueller continued to defend his work.
“Russia’s actions were a threat to America’s democracy. It was critical that they be investigated and understood,” Mueller wrote in a Washington Post op-ed in 2020. “By late 2016, the FBI had evidence that the Russians had signaled to a Trump campaign adviser that they could assist the campaign through the anonymous release of information damaging to the Democratic candidate.”
