As you probably know by now, Robert Mueller died over the weekend.
The man probably died with the feeling that he no longer understood the country he served. Before I get into some thoughts on his investigation into you-know-who, I wanted to talk about his career. The man lived a life marked by steady service to the United States through both military and civilian roles. As a Marine Corps officer in the Vietnam War, he was wounded in combat and received decorations for bravery, reflecting an early commitment to his country. He later pursued a legal career that led him through key positions in the Justice Department, where he prosecuted major criminal cases and helped oversee national security efforts. Appointed director of the FBI just before the September 11 attacks, Mueller led the bureau for 12 years and guided its transformation into a modern counterterrorism agency while serving under presidents of both parties. Of particular note, his counterterrorism agents were the first to call out abuses at the secret prisons that the CIA had established after 9/11, including outright torture. He returned to public service again in 2017 as special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, demonstrating his continued dedication to the rule of law. Throughout his career, Mueller was known for discipline, integrity, and a consistent focus on serving the nation.
The guy had a record of service. Slowly Dying President Donald Trump, of course, did the right thing and honored him with respect despite Mueller’s investigation of him. Ha, no, that’s not what he did at all.
Trump: “Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people! President DONALD J. TRUMP”
I am just going to point out that when Charlie Kirk died, people lost their jobs over not mourning his death and telling the truth about who he was. That Mueller “hurt innocent people” is rather hilarious given the so-called “innocent” is Donald J is for Jackoff Trump.
Trump’s sickening post is ironic because Mueller did not get a key aspect of modern politics, messaging, and that more or less saved Trump’s bacon. Being the epitome of an institutionalist, Mueller probably figured that the power of the institution would push forward the truth of what his investigation of Donald Trump and Russian involvement in the 2016 election had found.
Instead, right before it was fully released, we got a summary released by Trump’s DOJ and Evil Muppet Bill Barr and a press conference where Barr hereby declared the report to be a big nothingburger for our Great President. Somewhat forgotten in history is that somehow, Barr got the label of a Very Serious and Principled Person, and the overall media reaction was that the report was much ado about nothing because the AG said so.
Writer A.R. Moxon is a very astute guy, and this is the best summary of the entire situation.
The legacy of Mueller is that if you do diligent methodical careful work on a damning report, trusting to our institutions to do the right thing, damned liars will just tell damned lies about your work and the lies will stand, because institutions won't confront power and nobody does the reading.
— A.R. Moxon (@juliusgoat.bsky.social) 2026-03-22T11:04:20.226Z
The Glorious Glory of the Glorious American System was like an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, a slow-moving target that was easily shredded like so much cotton candy once the Republican Party decided that mores, unwritten rules, and gentlemen’s agreements were something they no longer cared about. It did not matter how much you sneered and snarled about the power of the institution; Trump’s bullshit destroyed it and unfortunately, our institutions helped in their own demise.
Mueller’s work on the report was first-rate, and the reality was that it had plenty of damning evidence about Trump and the Russians. Where he arguably failed was not pushing back harder on his so-called boss. Then, during the hearings, it was obvious that Mueller was not up to them. His age was catching up to him, and his performance was labored and often feeble. In some ways, it was almost cruel to a great man that he had to step forward for this, but given his sense of duty, he did. Perhaps his failing health was the reason why he didn’t push back harder on Barr, and perhaps Barr knew this would be the case because he’s an awful human being.
So the first real attempt after the election to sink Trump failed, and due to controlling the narrative with the media’s help, the idea of Trump and Putin operating as partners took a real hit. This is unfortunate because ever since the 2016 election, it has been clear that Trump had Russian connections. Just listen to what he says/said.
None of this is blaming Mueller for where we are, as he was not alone in his faith in institutions. The media, the very institution that Trump and his minions have done the most damage to, took Barr’s word as gospel. This, to refresh memories, is part of why Maggie Haberman is awful.
The first (and last) episode of "The Daily" podcast from the NYT I ever listened to was one where Haberman was a guest, and they essentially claimed "the Mueller Report" exonerated Trump based entirely on Barr's summary. http://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/25/p…
RIP, Mr. Mueller. You lived a life of service. It’s a different world now, institutions are in ruins, and hopefully, now there are enough people who understand that and can fix it.
The last word goes to Creedence Clearwater Revival, who by all accounts was a favorite band of Robert Mueller’s.