President Donald Trump took no time taking shots at Robert Mueller, who died at the age of 81, his family announced on Saturday.

“With deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away last night. His family asks that their privacy be respected,” the family said in a statement. Mueller had reportedly been suffering from Parkinson’s disease, though an official cause of death was not immediately disclosed.

But within minutes of the announcement, attention shifted from Mueller to President Trump’s reaction.

In a blunt post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people! President DONALD J. TRUMP”



The post immediately ignited outrage across media and political circles, with critics seizing on the tone and substance of the statement.

MSNBC commentator David Corn framed Mueller as a principled figure undermined by Trump-era politics, “Robert Mueller was an honorable public servant,” Corn said. “He just never understood what he was up against with the Russia investigation: Trump’s virulent, unprincipled, and unrelenting disinformation campaign. RIP.”

Robert Mueller was an honorable public servant. He just never understood what he was up against with the Russia investigation: Trump’s virulent, unprincipled, and unrelenting disinformation campaign. RIP

— David Corn (@davidcorn.bsky.social) March 21, 2026 at 1:26 PM

Former cable host Keith Olbermann responded even more aggressively. “Predictable really. Trump is the worst person in the history of the United States of America. Period,” Olbermann wrote, before adding in a follow-up post that Trump’s reaction suggested “even Trump knows Mueller DID NOT clear him.”

“Trump is always classy,” said Tim O’Brien, senior editor of opinion for Bloomberg, adding, “Mueller was right and I still have a bromance with Putin.”

Before rising through the ranks of federal law enforcement, Mueller served as a Marine Corps officer during the Vietnam War, where he was awarded both a Bronze Star for valor and a Purple Heart after being wounded in combat.

He later built a reputation as a steady institutional figure, ultimately being tapped by George W. Bush to lead the FBI just days before the September 11 attacks. Over a 12-year tenure, Mueller reshaped the bureau’s priorities toward counterterrorism and intelligence gathering in the wake of 9/11, serving under both Republican and Democratic administrations.

Mueller returned to public life as special counsel overseeing the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election—an inquiry that would define his public legacy and fuel years of political division.

His 448-page report, released in April 2019, detailed numerous contacts between individuals tied to the Trump campaign and Russian actors, but did not allege a criminal conspiracy.

At the same time, the report outlined episodes in which Trump sought to influence or curtail the investigation, including efforts to assert control over it. Mueller ultimately declined to make a prosecutorial judgment on obstruction of justice, citing longstanding Department of Justice guidance against indicting a sitting president. Trump has maintained that the investigation fully exonerated him, a claim that remained a point of contention long after the report’s release.

Mueller’s death, and the immediate reaction to it, underscored the extent to which his legacy remains deeply polarizing. For many Trump allies, he remains tied to an investigation they view as politically motivated and unfairly damaging. Trump’s response ensured that, even in death, Mueller’s name remains at the center of one of the most contentious chapters in modern American politics.

Former intelligence official Joe Kent is suspected of leaking classified information to “disaffected MAGA media” personalities like former Fox News host Tucker Carlson — and FBI Director Kash Patel may be poised to declassify information regarding a probe into former intelligence official Joe Kent in an effort to prove that the investigation was not retaliation for his resignation.

A report published Thursday by NOTUS also stated that FBI Director Kash Patel was considering declassifying as much information as possible in order to show that the investigation into Kent was already underway when he announced his plan to leave the administration.

A law enforcement source told NOTUS that FBI counterintelligence had already begun a criminal investigation into Kent’s alleged actions long before he announced his resignation. An administration official told the outlet that Kent had “leaked classified information from a server to a member of the media.”

Kent, according to a Wednesday report first published by Semafor, was already under the FBI’s microscope before he abruptly resigned on Tuesday and stated that he could no longer support President Donald Trump’s administration as it waged war against the Iranian regime.

The Green Beret veteran declared on Tuesday that he could not remain on the job — as director of the National Counterterrorism Center — as long as the Trump administration continued military action alongside Israel against Iran. “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” he claimed.

But shortly after Kent tendered his resignation, several sources revealed that he had not been part of the planning with regard to Iran — and had not been briefed on the intelligence that led President Trump to determine that Iran was, in fact, an imminent threat.

By Wednesday evening, reports began circulating that Kent was being investigated by the FBI — and a strategic declassification of the relevant information could provide evidence that the investigation predated Kent’s exit from the administration.