Robert Mueller, the no-nonsense former FBI chief who documented Russia's interference in the 2016 U.S. election and its contacts with Donald Trump's campaign but opted not to bring criminal charges against a sitting President, has died at age 81, multiple news outlets reported on Saturday (March 21, 2026).
His death was reported by MS NOW and a New York Times journalist who posted a statement attributed to the Mueller family. No cause of death was given for Mueller, a decorated Vietnam War veteran who led the FBI in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S.
Who is Robert Mueller?
The New York Times last year reported that Mueller had Parkinson's disease.
Mueller retired after 12 years as Federal Bureau of Investigation director in 2013 but was summoned back to public service by a senior Justice Department official four years later as a special counsel to take over an inquiry into Russia's election meddling after Mr. Trump fired then-FBI chief James Comey.
