Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller Diagnosed With Parkinson’s Disease

Mueller received his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2021, his family said.

Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller testifies before a House Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on July 24, 2019. Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

Former special counsel Robert Mueller, who previously investigated allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, according to his family.

Mueller received his Parkinson’s diagnosis in the summer of 2021 and retired from the practice of law later that year, his family told The New York Times.

“He taught at his law school alma mater during the fall of both 2021 and 2022, and he retired at the end of 2022,” his family said, requesting that Mueller’s privacy be respected.

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive brain condition that may interfere with a person’s ability to walk or speak. The disease weakens nerve cells in parts of the brain, causing movement-related symptoms such as “tremor, stiffness, and impaired balance,” according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Mueller had previously investigated alleged ties between President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russian actors. The probe ultimately found no evidence that they conspired to influence the election.

News of his diagnosis broke as the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee issued a subpoena to Mueller requiring him to testify on Sept. 2, following its probe into the case of Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier charged with sex trafficking charges.

House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) wrote in an Aug. 5 letter that while Mueller was FBI director in 2007, the agency’s investigation of Epstein resulted in a draft 60-count indictment.

Epstein pleaded guilty to two prostitution offenses the following year, in exchange for a nonprosecution agreement that granted him and his coconspirators immunity from federal prosecution, according to the letter. He died in a New York jail in August 2019, and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell was ultimately sentenced to 20 years in prison for aiding Epstein in sexually abusing minors.

Comer said the committee believes that Mueller may hold information relevant to its investigation, given his position as FBI director when Epstein was being investigated by the agency.

“While the Department undertakes efforts to uncover and publicly disclose additional information related to Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell’s cases,“ Comer stated, ”it is imperative that Congress conduct oversight of the federal government’s enforcement of sex trafficking laws generally and specifically its handling of the investigation and prosecution of Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell.”

“The Committee may use the results of this investigation to inform legislative solutions to improve federal efforts to combat sex trafficking and reform the use of non-prosecution agreements and/or plea agreements in sex-crime investigations.”

The committee has since withdrawn its subpoena for Mueller after learning of his health issues that preclude him from testifying, according to a statement shared with media outlets.