Here is a look at the life of Robert Mueller, special counsel for the Department of Justice and former director of the FBI.
Mueller was appointed in May 2017 to investigate Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election, including any links or coordination “between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump.”
Personal:
Birth date: August 7, 1944
Birth place: New York, New York
Birth name: Robert Swan Mueller III
Father: Robert Swan Mueller Jr., business executive
Mother: Alice (Truesdale) Mueller
Marriage: Ann (Standish) Mueller (1966-present)
Children: Melissa and Cynthia
Education: Princeton University, B.A., 1966; New York University, M.A., 1967; and University of Virginia, J.D., 1973
Military service: US Marine Corps and Reserves, 1966-1980, Captain
Other Facts:
Mueller is pronounced “MUH-ler.”
Longest serving FBI Director since J. Edgar Hoover.
First FBI Director to be appointed to serve an additional two years after his 10-year term expired.
Awarded a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry and two Navy Commendation Medals for his service in Vietnam.
Oversaw the prosecutions of Manuel Noriega,John Gotti and led the investigation into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.
After the9/11 terrorist attacks,Mueller helped transform the FBI into an agency focused on national security as well as law enforcement, gathering intelligence and countering terrorism globally.
Timeline:
1973-1976 – Associate attorney at the law firm of Pillsbury, Madison and Sutro.
1976-1982 – Joins the US Attorney’s office in the Northern District of California.
1982-1988 – US Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.
1988-1989 – Partner at the law firm of Hill and Barlow.
1990-1993 – Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice.
1993-1995 – Becomes a senior partner in the law firm of Hale and Dorr.
1995-1998 – Joins the Homicide Section of the US Attorney’s Office in DC. Mueller becomes the section chief in 1997.
1998-2001 – US Attorney for the Northern District of California.
July 5, 2001 – Nominated to be director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation by President George W. Bush.
July 13, 2001 – The Justice Department announces that Mueller will undergo surgery for the treatment of prostate cancer. Officials state that Mueller was diagnosed in April.
September 4, 2001 – Sworn in as the sixth director of the FBI.
July 26, 2011 – Congress passes legislation to extend Mueller’s term another two years from the usual fixed 10-year term. The extension of his term passes the Senate with a vote of 100-0.
September 4, 2013 – Steps down after a 12-year term as the Director of the FBI. James Comey succeeds him as the new agency director.
2014-2017 – Partner at WilmerHale law firm.
September 2014 – Begins a nearly four-month independent inquiry into the NFL’s investigation and how it gathered evidence in the domestic violence case involving Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens. He later releases a 96-page report outlining his findings, concluding “the NFL should have done more with the information it had, and should have taken additional steps to obtain all available information about the February 15 [2014] incident.”
October 27, 2016 – Booz Allen announces it has hired Mueller to conduct an outside review of the firm’s security and management processes after a contractor to the National Security Agency with Booz Allen was charged in August with stealing government property and unauthorized removal of classified materials.
May 17, 2017 – Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appoints Mueller to serve as special counsel to oversee the federal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, including potential collusion between Trump’s campaign associates and Russian officials. Rosenstein will oversee Mueller’s work because Attorney General Jeff Sessionsrecused himself from investigations into the 2016 presidential campaign.
June 15, 2017 – Mueller’s spokesman says the special counsel’s office has hired 13 lawyers, with plans to hire more.
October 30, 2017 –In connection with Mueller’s Russia probe, Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his associate, Rick Gates are indicted on 12 counts including conspiracy to launder money, making false statements and conspiracy against the United States. Separately, a court filing is unsealed revealing that former foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign, George Papadopoulos has pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the FBI pertaining to the Russia probe.
December 1, 2017 – Former national security adviser Michael Flynn pleads guilty to making false statements to the FBI. He agrees to cooperate with Mueller’s team.
December 16, 2017 – Lawyers representing the Trump transition team write to members of Congress accusing Mueller’s team of obtaining unauthorized access to tens of thousands of transition emails during the course of its Russia investigation, including what they claim to be documents protected by attorney-client privilege. Mueller’s representatives deny the accusation.
January 25, 2018 – The New York Times reports that Trump had ordered the firing of Mueller in June 2017. White House counsel Donald McGahn reportedly threatened to quit instead of carrying out the order.
February 16, 2018 – Mueller’s team indicts 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities for allegedly meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
February 23, 2018 – Gates pleads guilty to lying to the FBI and conspiracy. As part of his plea agreement, Gates will cooperate with Mueller’s team.
April 10, 2018 – The New York Times reports that Trump considered firing Mueller in December 2017, marking the second attempt to do so.
April 10, 2018 – During a press briefing, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders says that Trump “believes he has the power to fire Mueller.”
April 11, 2018 – A bipartisan group of senators introduces legislation that would make it harder for Mueller to be fired. The Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act protects Mueller by ensuring he can only be fired for “good cause” by a senior Justice Department official.
April 17, 2018 – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tells Fox News he will not allow a vote on the Mueller protection bill, explaining that he feels it is unnecessary.
July 13, 2018 – Mueller’s team indicts 12 members of the Russian intelligence agency, GRU.
August 21, 2018 – Manafort is convicted on eight out of 18 counts after a trial in Virginia.
September 14, 2018 – Manafort agrees to cooperate with Mueller’s team and pleads guilty to conspiracy charges in lieu of going on trial a second time.If he fulfills his agreement to cooperate, prosecutors will drop other charges including money laundering and bank fraud.
November 7, 2018 – Sessions is fired. Trump appoints Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general.
November 20, 2018 – Trump submits written responses to questions from the special counsel.
November 26, 2018 – In a court filing, Mueller’s prosecutors accuse Manafort of violating his plea agreement and committing federal crimes by lying to the FBI and the special counsel’s office.
November 28, 2018 – A Senate vote on a Mueller protection bill is blocked by Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah.
November 29, 2018 – Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen pleads guilty to lying to Congress and signs an agreement to cooperate with Mueller’s team.
