This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-39958819

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 3 Version 4
Robert Mueller: 'Ramrod straight' ex-FBI boss to lead Russia inquiry Robert Mueller: 'Incorruptible' G-man stalking Trump presidency
(7 months later)
A decorated Vietnam veteran credited with turning round the FBI after the 9/11 attacks, Robert Mueller has been hailed by both Republicans and Democrats as a strong choice to lead the Trump-Russia investigation. US President Donald Trump's presidency could hinge on the investigation led by Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller.
He has been named as special counsel to oversee the inquiry into alleged Russian interference in the November 2016 presidential election, including possible co-ordination between Russia and members of the Trump campaign. But who is the veteran G-man?
He has also been instructed to look into any obstruction of the probe itself. When Mr Mueller was picked to lead the inquiry into alleged Russian interference in last year's presidential election, the appointment seemed to cross the partisan divide.
Robert Mueller III - to use the full name that has earned him the moniker "Bobby Three Sticks" - served as FBI director for 12 years under Presidents George W Bush and Barack Obama, making him the longest-serving bureau chief since J Edgar Hoover (director from 1935 to 1972). Robert Mueller III - to use the full name that has earned him the moniker "Bobby Three Sticks" - was named FBI director by President George W Bush.
When President Barack Obama entered office in 2009, he kept Mr Mueller on for another two years.
He became the longest-serving chief of America's famed law enforcement bureau since J Edgar Hoover, who was director from 1935-72.
Read moreRead more
He took over the bureau in 2001, just a week before the 9/11 attacks, and found himself tasked with restoring the agency's reputation after it and the CIA were found to have failed to share information on the threat. Golf club 'dispute'
Described as "no-nonsense" and "straitlaced", Mr Mueller has stood his ground in a showdown with a previous US president. But Mr Mueller was accused a few months on by conservatives of presiding over a biased investigation after it emerged two of his agents had called Mr Trump "loathsome" and an "idiot".
In 2004, George W Bush tried to reinstate a post 9/11 programme that allowed wiretapping without a court warrant, which the justice department had determined was not legal. The president's legal team has suggested Mr Mueller has another conflict of interest.
Mr Mueller, the then-Deputy Attorney General James Comey (Mr Mueller's successor at the FBI until he was sacked by President Trump in May 2017), and then-Attorney General John Ashcroft are widely reported to have threatened to resign en masse, backing down only when Mr Bush made changes to the programme. He quit as a member of the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, in a 2011 dispute over fees, reports the Washington Post.
Mr Mueller and Mr Comey - who was leading the FBI inquiry into alleged Russia interference in last year's election until his sacking - were close allies at the time, according to author Garrett Graf, who has written a biography of Mr Mueller. The criticism has provoked speculation that Mr Trump could even fire Mr Mueller.
But the 73-year-old has previously extricated himself from the rough amid politically motivated attacks.
Mr Mueller took over the FBI in 2001, just a week before 9/11.
The beginning of his tenure was consumed with the task of restoring the FBI's reputation after the agency and the CIA were found to have failed to share information on the terrorist threat.
Why attacks on Mueller are mounting
In 2004, President Bush tried to reinstate a post-9/11 programme that allowed wiretapping without a court warrant, which the Justice Department had determined was unlawful.
Mr Mueller, then-Deputy Attorney General James Comey and then-Attorney General John Ashcroft are widely reported to have threatened to quit en masse.
They agreed to stay, it is said, only after Mr Bush backed down and made changes to the programme.
Mr Comey succeeded Mr Mueller at the FBI until he was fired by President Trump in May 2017 as Mr Comey led the ongoing Russia inquiry.
Mr Mueller and Mr Comey were close allies, according to author Garrett Graf, who has written a biography of Mr Mueller.
He is known as "very straight and narrow," Mr Graf told NPR.
'No axe to grind''No axe to grind'
The 72-year-old Princeton graduate was no stranger to high-stakes cases even before he took the helm of the FBI. Mr Mueller's public service began long before he joined the FBI.
During a stint heading the justice department's criminal division from 1990 to 1993, he oversaw the investigation into the 1988 Pan Am airline bombing over Lockerbie in Scotland and the drug case against former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega. Born in New York City and raised near Philadelphia, he was inspired to join the Marine Corps after his Princeton classmate died serving in the Vietnam War.
He is also known for leading the probe into the 1991 collapse of the Luxembourg-registered Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI). Mr Mueller received a Purple Heart after getting shot in the leg in the conflict, where he was a rifle platoon leader.
Mr Mueller joined the Marines in 1968, leading a platoon in the Vietnam War, before completing a law degree at the University of Virginia in 1973. He went on to graduate from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1973 and joined a private legal firm in San Francisco.
He began his law career at a private firm in San Francisco in 1973, before entering public service in 1976 as an assistant US attorney in San Francisco. Mr Mueller entered public service in 1976 as an assistant US attorney in San Francisco.
Although he has mainly been appointed into posts by Republican administrations, he enjoys strong bipartisan support, and was kept on as FBI director for an extra two years by President Barack Obama. He earned a reputation as a no-nonsense investigator who pursued wrong-doers with Javert-like doggedness.
Long-time colleague David Kris has described him as "experienced, knowledgeable, capable" and "utterly incorruptible". During a stint heading the Justice Department's criminal division from 1990-93, he oversaw the inquiry into the 1988 Pan Am airline bombing over Lockerbie in Scotland.
Mr Mueller also handled the drug case against former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega.
Long-time colleague David Kris described him as "utterly incorruptible".
"He cannot be intimidated. At this stage in his career, he has nothing to prove, no reputation to burnish, no axe to grind. He is ramrod straight in his integrity," he wrote on the Brookings Institute's Lawfare blog."He cannot be intimidated. At this stage in his career, he has nothing to prove, no reputation to burnish, no axe to grind. He is ramrod straight in his integrity," he wrote on the Brookings Institute's Lawfare blog.
White shirts
More recently Mr Mueller has worked for the private firm WilmerHale, which is reported to have counted Mr Trump's daughter Ivanka, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort among its clients.
The firm said Mr Mueller would step down immediately and told Politico that Mr Mueller had not been involved with any of those representations.
While at the firm, he has played a lead role in the settlement of US litigation stemming from the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal.
He is known as "very straight and narrow," Mr Graf told NPR.
"He was famous in the FBI for always wearing a white shirt, dark suit and red or blue tie and would question any of his staff who showed up in the office not wearing a white shirt just like him.""He was famous in the FBI for always wearing a white shirt, dark suit and red or blue tie and would question any of his staff who showed up in the office not wearing a white shirt just like him."
To avoid any ethical pitfalls before taking the special counsel role, Mr Mueller quit his legal work for Washington-based firm WilmerHale.
It had counted Mr Trump's daughter Ivanka, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort among its clients.
The firm told Politico that Mr Mueller had not been involved with any of those representations.
Mr Mueller has since indicted Mr Manafort on money-laundering charges.
Three other former Trump aides have also been charged.
The investigation - which Mr Trump has branded a "witch hunt" - seems to be hotting up.
One thing seems certain: if past is precedent, Mr Mueller will leave no stone unturned.