Top Trump official defends president for celebrating Robert Mueller’s death - The Independent

The Independent
March 22, 2026
3 min read

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A Trump administration official defended the president's remarks celebrating former special counsel Robert Mueller's death in March 2024.

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A top Trump administration official defended President Trump's public remarks celebrating Robert Mueller's death, responding to criticism over the president's comments. Mueller, the former special counsel who led the Russia investigation that shadowed Trump's first term, died in March 2024. Trump's decision to publicly commemorate Mueller's passing in positive terms marked a notable shift in tone from their historically adversarial relationship during the 2016-2020 period, when the special counsel's investigation examined potential coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia. The defense of Trump's remarks underscores the administration's broader effort to reframe narratives from the prior investigation as the Trump presidency enters its second term.

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