Robert Mueller biography

Synopsis

Robert Mueller served in the Marines for three years during the Vietnam War and worked as a litigator in San Francisco before moving to starting his career in politics. He joined the U.S. Department of Justice in 1989 and became the 6th Director of the United States Federal Bureau of investigation (FBI) under President Bush. Mueller is best known for pushing to expand wiretap laws in the U.S.

Profile

Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Born Robert Swan Mueller III on August 7, 1944 in New York City. Robert Mueller received his bachelor's degree from Princeton University, his master's in international relations from New York University and his law degree from the University of Virginia. He served in the Marines for three years during the Vietnam War, earning a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.

After working as a litigator in San Francisco, Mueller served in the United States Attorney offices from 1976-1988. In 1989, he joined the United States Department of Justice, leading its criminal division in the prosecution of Manuel Noriega and crime boss John Gotti among other high-profile cases. He worked in the private sector from 1993-1995, returning to public service as senior litigator in the homicide division of the District of Columbia United States Attorney's Office. Mueller served as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California from 1998-2001.

In 2001, President Bush nominated Mueller as FBI Director, which was unanimously approved by the Senate. He officially took his post on September 4, 2001, just one week before the September 11 terrorist attacks. In the following months, Mueller acknowledged that the attacks might have been prevented had FBI headquarters followed through on tips from field offices. He then reorganized the bureau to focus on counterterrorism rather than domestic crimes.