Robert Mueller Quotes

Powerful Robert Mueller for Daily Growth

About Robert Mueller

Robert Swan Mueller III, born on August 7, 1944, in New York City, is a prominent American lawyer and public servant who served as the sixth Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 2001 to 2013. His illustrious career has been marked by his unwavering commitment to justice and public service. Mueller attended Princeton University, where he graduated with an A.B. in politics in 1966. He then went on to earn a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1968. After a brief stint as a Marine Corps officer, Mueller joined the Department of Justice (DOJ) in 1973. Throughout his career at DOJ, Mueller held various roles, including United States Attorney for the Northern District of California from 1982 to 1986 and Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division from 1989 to 1993. In these positions, he oversaw numerous high-profile cases, including investigations into organized crime, public corruption, and terrorism. In 2001, Mueller was appointed as the FBI Director by President George W. Bush following the 9/11 attacks. During his tenure, he led the bureau through critical periods, including the Iraq War and the global war on terror. He also oversaw significant reforms within the FBI, improving transparency and accountability. Post-FBI, Mueller became a pivotal figure in the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections. As Special Counsel from May 2017 to March 2019, he led a wide-ranging probe into links between the Trump campaign and Russia, resulting in multiple indictments and convictions. Mueller's life and work exemplify a steadfast commitment to justice, integrity, and public service. His quotes reflect these values, such as "The Department of Justice is not just another agency within the federal government, but it is the guardian of our institutions and our values." And "The rule of law, the foundation of our country, has been eroded in recent times."

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The indictments will tell the story."

The quote by former Special Counsel Robert Mueller, "The indictments will tell the story," suggests that instead of summarizing events or drawing conclusions himself, he would allow the legal documents (indictments) to present a narrative about any alleged wrongdoing, thus maintaining the integrity and impartiality of his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections.


"Those who commit federal crimes must face justice."

Robert Mueller's quote, "Those who commit federal crimes must face justice," emphasizes the fundamental principle that individuals who violate federal laws should be held accountable for their actions. This statement underscores the importance of upholding the rule of law in a democratic society where fairness and impartiality are crucial for maintaining trust and preserving order. It is a reminder that every citizen, regardless of status or position, must abide by the laws established by our government to maintain the stability and integrity of our nation.


"I've been in the department now for almost 50 years... I can assure you that we conduct our investigations and our prosecutions based on the law, regardless of any political pressure."

The quote indicates that Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who served at the Department of Justice for nearly five decades, maintains a commitment to conducting investigations and prosecutions according to the rule of law. He emphasizes that the integrity of these actions is not influenced by any political pressure or external factors. Instead, they are based solely on the legal merits and principles.


"If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would have said that."

This quote by Robert Mueller suggests that despite an extensive investigation into potential obstruction of justice by the President, there was not enough conclusive evidence to definitively state that the president did not engage in this act. In other words, the absence of a clear finding of innocence does not mean guilt, but rather it implies a lack of sufficient proof to exonerate.


"The Constitution requires a process other than the criminal justice system to formally accuse a sitting president of wrongdoing."

This quote highlights the unique legal status of a sitting U.S. President, emphasizing that the Constitution does not allow for the criminal justice system to formally accuse them of wrongdoing during their tenure. Instead, it suggests the need for an alternative process (like impeachment) to address alleged misconduct by a president. This underscores the checks and balances within the U.S. government, ensuring accountability while preserving the integrity of the executive office.


I asked a Burmese why women, after centuries of following their men, now walk ahead. He said there were many unexploded land mines since the war.

- Robert Mueller

War, Why, Ahead, Centuries

Prior to the passage of the Patriot Act, it was very difficult - often impossible - for us to share information with the Central Intelligence Agency, with NSA, with the other intelligence agencies, and likewise, for them to share information with us.

- Robert Mueller

Other, Patriot Act, Very, Patriot

Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity set the expectations for behavior; they set a standard for our work. More than just a motto, for the men and women of the FBI, Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity is a way of life.

- Robert Mueller

Work, Standard, Set, FBI

For most of us, fidelity is faithfulness to an obligation, trust, or duty. For the men and women of the FBI, fidelity also means fidelity to country. It means fidelity to justice and the law, fidelity to the Constitution, fidelity to equality and liberty.

- Robert Mueller

Trust, Faithfulness, Means, FBI

They're - FBI agents are some of the finest people you'll find anyplace in the country or the world. And I'm lucky to have the opportunity to work with them.

- Robert Mueller

Lucky, Country, Some, FBI

Anyplace we go in the world, when someone asks us what we do, we feel an immense pride in saying, 'FBI.'

- Robert Mueller

Pride, World, Someone, FBI

The FBI's principal priority right now is protecting the United States against another terrorist attack.

- Robert Mueller

United States, Protecting, FBI

I didn't know the organization, but the one thing you can say about the FBI, it's tremendously professional.

- Robert Mueller

Say, One Thing, About, FBI

And from the moment that we realized it was a terrorist attack, there isn't an agent or a support person in the FBI that wasn't committed to bringing to justice those who were responsible for this.

- Robert Mueller

Realized, Committed, Agent, FBI

But we had - I think if you look at law enforcement 10 years ago, if you look at the challenges, the FBI was focused excessively on what was happening in the United States.

- Robert Mueller

Law, Think, United States, FBI

In the United States, it's the mandate of the FBI to gather information relating to terrorism, go out and collect it, to do the interviews, to do the investigative work.

- Robert Mueller

United States, Mandate, FBI

And so every one of us in the FBI, I don't care if it's a file clerk someplace or an agent there or a computer specialist, understands that our main mission is to protect the public from another September 11, another terrorist attack.

- Robert Mueller

Another, Agent, Main, FBI

In the wake of the September 11 attacks, it became clear that the FBI's number one priority must be the prevention of another terrorist attack.

- Robert Mueller

Clear, Another, Became, FBI

I am confident that every action we took as the FBI detained individuals in the wake of 9/11 was appropriately done.

- Robert Mueller

Confident, Took, Am, FBI

For the FBI and for the United States, the war on terrorism is a complex and perplexing issue. It is as complex and perplexing as any issue we have ever faced.

- Robert Mueller

United States, Ever, Issue, FBI

I know when I was here prosecuting homicides in the District of Columbia, one of the most effective units here was the cold case squad, which had on it FBI agents, as well as Metropolitan Police Department homicide detectives working together.

- Robert Mueller

Cold, Here, FBI Agents, FBI

For the men and women of the FBI, bravery is reflected not only in the physical courage often necessary in the job. It can be seen in the courage of conviction, in the courage to act with wisdom in the face of fear, and in the courage it takes to admit mistakes and move forward.

- Robert Mueller

Mistakes, Reflected, FBI

If I have the honor of being confirmed by the Senate, I will make it my highest priority to restore the public's confidence in the FBI and to re-earn the faith and trust of the American people.

- Robert Mueller

Trust, Highest Priority, FBI

We need to take lessons learned from fighting terrorism and apply them to cyber crime.

- Robert Mueller

Need, Take, Learned, Cyber

Secondly, not only have we put additional agents on counterterrorism, but we've also built up our analytical structure so that we're better positioned to analyze the information we have.

- Robert Mueller

Analytical, Built, Also, Analyze

We cannot turn back the clock. We cannot undo the impact of technology. Nor would we want to.

- Robert Mueller

Nor, Would, We Cannot, Undo

In the context of September 11, there were so many that lost their lives that - how do you single out one person? There were so many acts of heroism that day from so many people, whether it be firemen and police officers in New York and our agents also.

- Robert Mueller

Police Officers, Acts, Our, Firemen

All I'm going to tell you is investigations, whether it be this and others, where you have partial facts, analysts, agents are always trying to interpret what those facts mean, extrapolate from them what they mean.

- Robert Mueller

Tell, Always, Going, Interpret

I would say in just about every investigation we have, there will be differences of opinion, where you have partial facts, as to what those facts mean.

- Robert Mueller

Differences, Will, About, Partial

Computer hackers do not need to know each other's real names, or even live on the same continent, to steal millions in mere hours.

- Robert Mueller

Other, Hours, Continent, Hackers

I am convinced that there are only two types of companies: those that have been hacked and those that will be. And even they are converging into one category: companies that have been hacked and will be hacked again.

- Robert Mueller

Will, Been, Types, Category

I do believe when there are advances in technology that it is important to balance the privacy interests affected with the investigative take that you might get from that technology.

- Robert Mueller

Believe, Privacy, Might, Investigative

I was in my office when - on 9/11. I think I had a number of meetings scheduled. I was just getting to know the bureau. And somebody walked in and said the first plane had - or a plane had struck the World Trade Center, one of the towers.

- Robert Mueller

I Think, Had, Plane, Struck

I remember... seeing the first plane go into the towers and thinking: 'It's a beautiful day. Somebody really must have gotten off course to have the plane go into the towers.'

- Robert Mueller

I Remember, Plane, Gotten, Towers

I think around the world, our agents are the best collectors of information you'll find.

- Robert Mueller

Best, Think, I Think, Agents

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