Robert Mueller Fast Facts

Mueller was appointed in May 2017 to investigate Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election, including any links or coordination "between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump."

Personal: Birth date: August 7, 1944

Birth place: New York, New York

Birth name: Robert Swan Mueller III

Father: Robert Swan Mueller Jr., business executive

Mother: Alice (Truesdale) Mueller

Marriage: Ann (Standish) Mueller (1966-present)

Children: Melissa and Cynthia

Education: Princeton University, B.A., 1966; New York University, M.A., 1967; and University of Virginia, J.D., 1973

Military service: US Marine Corps and Reserves, 1966-1980, Captain

Other Facts: Mueller is pronounced "MUH-ler."

Longest serving FBI Director since J. Edgar Hoover.

First FBI Director to be appointed to serve an additional two years after his 10-year term expired.

Awarded a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry and two Navy Commendation Medals for his service in Vietnam.

Oversaw the prosecutions of Manuel Noriega, John Gotti and led the investigation into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Mueller transformed the priorities of the FBI from a strict law enforcement agency, to one focused on national security, gathering intelligence and countering terrorism globally.

Timeline: 1973-1976 - Associate attorney at the law firm of Pillsbury, Madison and Sutro.

1976-1982 - Joins the US Attorney's office in the Northern District of California.

1982-1988 - US Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.

1988-1989 - Partner at the law firm of Hill and Barlow.

1990-1993 - Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice.

1993-1995 - Becomes a senior partner in the law firm of Hale and Dorr.

1995-1998 - Joins the Homicide Section of the US Attorney's Office in DC. Mueller becomes the section chief in 1997.

1998-2001 - US Attorney for the Northern District of California.

July 5, 2001 - Nominated to be director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation by President George W. Bush.

July 13, 2001 - The US Justice Department announces that Mueller will undergo surgery for the treatment of prostate cancer. Officials state that Mueller was diagnosed in April.

September 4, 2001 - Sworn in as the sixth director of the FBI.

July 26, 2011 - Congress passes legislation to extend Mueller's term another two years from the usual fixed 10-year term. The extension of his term passes the Senate with a vote of 100-0.

September 4, 2013 - Steps down after a 12-year term as the Director of the FBI. James Comey succeeds him as the new agency director.

2014-2017 - Partner at WilmerHale law firm.

September 2014 - Begins a nearly four-month independent inquiry into the NFL's investigation and how it gathered evidence in the domestic violence case involving Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens. He later releases a 96-page report outlining his findings, concluding "the NFL should have done more with the information it had, and should have taken additional steps to obtain all available information about the February 15 [2014] incident."

October 27, 2016 - Booz Allen announces it has hired Mueller to conduct an outside review of the firm's security and management processes after a contractor to the National Security Agency with Booz Allen was charged in August with stealing government property and unauthorized removal of classified materials.

May 17, 2017 - Acting Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appoints Mueller to serve as special counsel for the United States Department of Justice.

December 16, 2017 - Lawyers representing the Trump transition team write to members of Congress accusing Mueller's team of obtaining unauthorized access to tens of thousands of transition emails during the course of its Russia investigation, including what they claim to be documents protected by attorney-client privilege. Mueller's representatives deny the accusation.

January 25, 2018 - The New York Times reports that President Trump had ordered the firing of Mueller in June 2017. White House counsel Donald McGahn had threatened to quit instead of carrying out the order.

April 10, 2018 - The New York Times reports that President Trump considered firing Mueller in December 2017, marking the second attempt to do so.

April 10, 2018 - During a press briefing, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders says that President Trump "believes he has the power to fire Mueller."

April 11, 2018 - A bipartisan group of senators introduces legislation that would make it harder for Mueller to be fired for investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election. The Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act protects Mueller by ensuring the special counsel can only be fired for "good cause" by a senior Justice Department official.

July 23, 2018 - The first criminal trial in the Russia investigation by the special counsel is delayed a week. The judge also grants a request for five witnesses to testify with immunity in the prosecution of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. The five witnesses granted immunity are: James Brennan, Donna Duggan, Conor O'Brien, Cindy Laporta and Dennis Raico. Court filings do not provide details as to what each will be testifying about.