3 hours ago
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Robert Mueller, the former special counsel whose investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US election defined much of Donald Trump's first term in office, has died. He was 81.
The cause was not immediately known. CBS News, the BBC US partner, confirmed his death.
"With deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away" on Friday night, the family said to the AP in a statement. "His family asks that their privacy be respected."
Mueller previously led the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 2001 to 2013, taking the office just days before the 11 September 2001 terror attacks. He is credited with reshaping the FBI into a modern counterterrorism agency.
Mueller's special counsel inquiry put Trump's 2016 campagin under a microscope, drawing harsh criticism from the president.
The president on Saturday wrote on Truth Social: "I'm glad he's dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!"
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