Ex-FBI chief Robert Mueller, who probed Russia-Trump campaign ties, dies

Robert S. Mueller III, the FBI director who transformed the nation’s premier law enforcement agency into a terrorism-fighting force after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and who later became special counsel in charge of investigating ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, has died. He was 81. His family says in a statement that Mueller died Friday night. At the FBI, Mueller overhauled the bureau’s mission to meet the law enforcement needs of the 21st century. His 12-year tenure began a week before the Sept. 11 attacks. Later, he was special counsel in the Justice Department’s investigation into whether the Trump campaign illegally coordinated with Russia to sway the outcome of the 2016 presidential race.