Updated March 22, 2026, 2:38 p.m. ET
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, called President Donald Trump’s response to the death of former FBI director and special counsel Robert Mueller “disgusting,” after the president said he was “glad” to hear of Mueller’s death.
“It’s just disgusting. It’s so heartbreaking that we have a president who is cheerleading the death of American citizens.” Murphy told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on March 22. “Mueller is amongst many who have been trying to hold this president to account.”
The former FBI director, who also served as special counsel investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election, died last week at age 81. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2021.
“With deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away last night,” Mueller’s family said in a March 21 statement
Trump reacted to the news in a social media post, telling his followers, “Good, I’m glad he’s dead.”
“He can no longer hurt innocent people!” Trump added.
The post engendered bipartisan backlash in Washington. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, alleged in a post on X that “Trump’s goal is to distract you from rising gas prices, his aimless war, ICE abuses, and the Epstein files. Don’t give him what he wants.”
Republican Rep. Don Bacon called it “wrong and unchristian behavior” in a text message to Politico.
Trump and Mueller’s feud stems from the former FBI director’s investigation and his 2019 final report, which concluded Russia had interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump. However, there was no evidence anyone associated with the Trump campaign at the time colluded with the Russian government.
Mueller did say in his 2019 report that his investigation hadn’t cleared Trump of obstructing justice.
While “this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him,” Mueller wrote.
The former official’s sweeping investigation loomed over much of Trump’s first term and made him a frequent target of the president. According to Trump, the investigations into his first White House campaign and its connections with Moscow are a hoax.
Thirty-four people were indicted in Mueller’s Russia probe, including six former Trump advisers, 26 Russians, one California man and a London-based lawyer. Seven, including five of the six former Trump advisers, pleaded guilty.
Mueller led the FBI from 2001 to 2003. He served in the Vietnam War as a United States Marine Corps officer, earning several awards and commendations, including a Purple Heart.
Contributing: Jonathan Limehouse and Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY
