Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller, who is now leading the Russia investigation, will speak publicly Monday afternoon for the first time since taking on his prominent new role.
The former FBI director is scheduled to deliver the commencement address at Tabor Academy, a small college preparatory school in Marion, Massachusetts, located on the shores near Cape Cod. Mueller’s granddaughter is one of the 133 graduates, school spokeswoman Molly Horan told CNN.
The school announced Muller as its graduation speaker on April 27, three weeks before Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed him to serve as a special counsel overseeing the investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 election.
“Mr. Mueller oversaw the FBI during one of the most complex periods of our nation’s history and will no doubt share some unique perspectives with our graduates about leading in a position with such public and high-level responsibility,” head of school John Quirk said in a press release at the time.
It is unlikely Mueller’s commencement address will make any references to the ongoing investigation he’s running, but his address could provide some clues about Mueller’s values and his worldview.
Back in Washington, the investigation continues into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
The federal probe is widening, and investigators are now looking at senior White House adviser Jared Kushner. There are no indications that Kushner is a target of the investigation, but the FBI is focusing on his involvement in the Trump campaign’s data operation, Kushner’s own contacts with prominent Russian government officials and his relationship with former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Former FBI Director James Comey, who was fired by President Donald Trump, will testify soon before Congress. But he wants to talk with Mueller before going public, House oversight committee chairman Jason Chaffetz told CNN last week. Chaffetz has invited Comey to testify at his committee.
Mueller is no stranger to the Bay State, where he’ll be spending his Memorial Day this year.
Before joining the FBI, Mueller worked as an assistant US attorney in Boston. He worked under Bill Weld, the US attorney for Massachusetts who later served as the state’s Republican governor in the 1990s. Last year, Weld was Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson’s vice presidential running mate.
In addition to his widely respected government service, Mueller previously worked for private law firms in the Boston area, including Hale and Dorr and Hill and Barlow, according to Boston Magazine.
He most recently worked for WilmerHale, and he resigned that position upon becoming special counsel. Two of his colleagues form that law firm joined him to work on the Russia investigation.