Hi All,
We assume most of you are aware of this Russia probe here in the U.S. and Robert Mueller's role in this investigation, but for those of you outside the U.S. or for those who would like more background on Robert Mueller, here is some history and some insight into his character.
Robert Mueller
In his formative years, Mueller attended a prestigious all boy prep school in New Hampshire and then graduated from Princeton University.
In 1965 his close friend from Princeton David Hackett goes to fight in Vietnam and in his 2nd tour was killed by a sniper’s bullet.
While many of his friends avoid serving, Bob Mueller wants to honor his dear friend David Hackett and serve his country and so he decides to enlist. The idea of a St. Paul's and Princeton boy being in the war was very rare.
Dec 11, 1968 Mueller assumes command of an infantry platoon and just weeks after deployment , his men come under heavy fire. He is awarded a
BRONZE STAR for combat valor. He moved fearlessly with complete disregard for his own safety.
Four months later April 1969, Mueller’s platoon is attacked by the Viet Cong, he his shot through the thigh. Despite his injury, Mueller refused to withdraw until his men were out of harm’s way. The incident earns him a
PURPLE HEART.
From undergrad at Princeton, to under fire in Vietnam, Mueller returns to the US determined to continue being in service to his country. Mueller graduated from the University of Virginia Law in 1973 and became a top prosecutor in San Francisco.
He gained a reputation to be feared in a trial.In 1989 he joins the Justice Dept., eventually becoming head of the Criminal Division, overseeing a number of high profile cases such as the Pan Am bombing and Mob Boss.
1993 Mueller leaves the public sector and takes a job at a private law firm as a white collar litigator. He called up the US Attorney in Washington at the time, Eric Holder, and said he wanted to prosecute murder cases. Holder reminded him that he already had a great job and that he would not be able to match his salary and being that he had already served as an Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division, that he might be a bit
overqualified for a job as a line prosecutor. Mueller wanted it anyway due to the enormous hikes in crime rates in the DC area and took a significant cut in pay.
In 1997 Mueller was offered a job back in San Francisco as the US Attorney of North California.
Mueller is confirmed by Congress with 99 yays and ZERO Nays and becomes the 6th Director of the FBI in the summer of 2001. His first day on the job is Sept 4th 2001, one week before 911, which becomes the biggest act of domestic terrorism in US History ~ it was
Baptism by Fire.
FBI director is a 10 year term period. But Obama extended his term two years as they were having trouble finding anyone who came close to his standards. Not one of the prior FBI directors finished their 10 year term, let alone exceeded them. Extending Mueller’s term requires Congress to pass a new law and it clears the Senate unanimously.
His two year extension ends in summer of 2013. He hands over a completely overhauled FBI to James Comey.
Mueller becomes a private attorney for clients such as the NFL and Sony while Trump is becoming President.
On May 16, 2017, Mueller interviewed with President Trump following the firing of James Comey to again serve as the Director of the FBI. Trump did not hire Mueller and immediately provided feedback he wanted to go a new direction, someone who hadn't been in the position before.
Meanwhile, Dept. Attorney General Rob Rosenstein was feeling pressure from Congress to appoint a special counsel which was needed for independence of the Russia investigation. He was looking for someone with
unimpeachable integrity and
a deep and abiding respect for the law and whose judgement could not be questioned, and on the very next day, on May 17, 2017, he appointed Mueller to serve as special counsel for the United Sates Department of Justice.
In this capacity, Mueller oversees the investigation into "any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump, and any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation".
A former colleague shares.“The prosecutors you fear most are the ones who aren’t full of bluster and who aren’t puffing their chests out, but the ones who are going to quietly and single-mindedly pick your case apart and that is the kind of focus that Bob Mueller brings to this job.”
"Bob Mueller could certainly be the person who brings down this presidency.
He will take a hold of you like a dog with a bone and he will not give up. If you did it and he’s got decent evidence, then you are going to get convicted.”
