Former FBI Director Robert Mueller, who led the Russia investigation into President Donald Trump‘s 2016 election campaign, has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, his family told The New York Times.
The diagnosis means that Mueller, 81, cannot comply with a congressional subpoena about the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
Why It Matters
Epstein, a convicted sex offender and disgraced financier, died by suicide behind bars in New York while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges in 2019.
Representative James Comer of Kentucky, the Republican chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, is leading a congressional inquiry into the government’s handling of the investigation into Epstein.
As part of that investigation, Comer seeks to question a number of politicians and former Justice Department and FBI officials.
What To Know
Mueller’s family said in a statement to The New York Times that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the summer of 2021.
“He retired from the practice of law at the end of that year. He taught at his law school alma mater during the fall of both 2021 and 2022, and he retired at the end of 2022. His family asks that his privacy be respected,” the family told the newspaper.
As a result of the diagnosis, the congressional committee has withdrawn a request for Mueller to give testimony this week in its inquiry into the government’s handling of the Epstein investigation, the Times reported.
Mueller was among 10 high-profile former officials that the committee subpoenaed as part of its expanding investigation into the Epstein sex trafficking case amid renewed scrutiny over the Justice Department’s handling of Epstein-related files and growing pressure from lawmakers to uncover any misconduct.
The committee had wanted to question Mueller, who served as director of the FBI from 2001 to 2013, about the agency’s handling of the Epstein investigation.
The list of people subpoenaed by the committee in connection with the Epstein case includes former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Attorney General Merrick Garland and former FBI Director James Comey.
Mueller was appointed in May 2017 as a special counsel to investigate Russia’s alleged interference in Trump’s 2016 election campaign.
He oversaw the drafting of a 448-page report that looked into possible Russian election interference and connections to the election.
While the report concluded that the Trump campaign did not conspire with a foreign power, it highlighted conflicts within the White House and the president’s misconduct throughout the investigation.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump said in July when asked why he believed his supporters had been so interested in the Epstein case: “Don’t forget, we went through years of the Mueller witch hunt and all of the different things. … All that information was fake.”
Special counsel Robert Mueller, upon completion of his report in 2019, wrote: “While this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”
What Happens Next
The bipartisan House investigation into the Epstein case is expected to call more witnesses.
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