NPR: Who Is Robert Mueller, Special Counsel Overseeing Russia Investigation?

The world closely followed the 2016 US presidential campaign, and will continue to do so with multiple investigations into reports of Russian interference during the election. Robert Mueller, former director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, has been nominated as special counselor with broad powers to investigate. Mueller started his job as FBI director a week before the 9/11 attacks, and swiftly responded afterward by updating bureau priorities, moving agents from traditional criminal investigations to counterterrorism, national security and later cyberthreats. “Mueller overhauled the agency to prioritize, first, the threat of terrorism from groups like al-Qaida and the Taliban and then, later, the threat from individuals not affiliated with any particular group, like the Tsarnaev brothers, who were behind the Boston Marathon bombing,” writes Carrie Johnson for NPR. Criticism emerged over data-collection and surveillance on citizens by the bureau and other law-enforcement groups. Mueller once threatened to resign over legal problems with the terrorist surveillance program. Mueller’s credentials and reputation are widely respected by both Democrats and Republicans. Analysts warn the investigation could take years. – YaleGlobal