Robert Mueller, who served as special counsel in the investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, died on Friday, according to two people familiar with the matter. He was 81.
The cause of death was not immediately known, but Mueller had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease for years, the people said.
Mueller, whose two-year probe concluded in 2019 that Russia had interfered in the election with the intent benefitting President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, served as FBI director from 2001 to 2013. The Justice Department in 2017 appointed him special counsel to oversee the growing investigation after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey.
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Carol Leonnig is a senior investigative reporter with MS NOW.
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Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
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