‘Glad he’s dead’: Trump cheers passing of Mueller, who probed Russian election interference

By Brentin Mock

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 29: A copy of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's statement about the Russia investigation is made available to reporters on May 29, 2019 at the Justice Department in Washington, DC. Mueller said that he is stepping down as special counsel and that the report he gave to the attorney general is his last words on the subject. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Saturday afternoon’s announcement of the death of former FBI director Robert Mueller III was welcomed by President Donald Trump, who posted on Truth Social: “Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!”

Trump’s response seemed to allude to his own role as the target of a U.S. Justice Department investigation into whether he colluded with Russia during his 2016 presidential campaign, which Mueller ran as special counsel. 

While the two-year probe concluded with Mueller finding no criminal conspiracy involving Trump and Russia to undermine U.S. elections, he did bring charges against six people associated with Trump, including his campaign chairman. 

It’s clear that Trump was initially a bit shaken when he found out Mueller was assigned to probe him, particularly when his Attorney General Jeff Sessions decided to recuse himself from the mission. Trump derided the investigation on social media almost the whole way as a “witch hunt” and a “hoax” while questioning Mueller’s competency. 

While the nearly 450-page Mueller report failed to throttle Trump’s presidency or unseat him, Mueller maintained that there were still questionable actions from Russia – and from Trump’s campaign —, that deserved scrutiny. 

“Russia’s actions were a threat to America’s democracy,” wrote Mueller in a 2020 Washington Post op-ed. It was critical that they be investigated and understood. We did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired with the Russian government in its activities. The investigation did, however, establish that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome. It also established that the campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts.”

Trump’s hostile response to news of Mueller’s death tracks with the president’s habit of attacking those who have sought to hold him accountable.