Most of us know Robert Mueller as the special counsel appointed to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Usually, when his name makes headlines, it either means someone is about to get indicted or President Donald Trump is threatening to fire him (again). But even former FBI directors need tech support sometimes, and Mueller was recently spotted visiting an Apple Store Genius Bar. Business Insider reported that a picture of Mueller at an Apple store was originally shared by Meghan Pianta, who works in Washington D.C. as a communications professional. Pianta reportedly posted the image to her Instagram Story, and she told Business Insider that she suspected Mueller was getting help with a laptop. The image was later tweeted on September 26th, this time by NBC Washington reporter Kelly Cohen. She wrote that the picture was a screenshot from an Instagram Story that her friend had texted her, and that it was reportedly taken at the Georgetown Apple Store. "Text from a friend—looks like even Robert Mueller needs technology help," she captioned the photo. We’d pegged Mueller as more of a PC guy, to be honest. Twitter users wondered what the special counsel could be investigating at the Genius Bar. Some hoped Mueller’s tech problems would clear up soon. false Others felt that he should get back to work. And some took the opportunity to poke fun at Trump.<doc-sep>The Russia special prosecutor was photographed getting his MacBook looked at, or perhaps setting up new devices, at an Apple retail outlet in Washington D.C.'s Georgetown section. AppleInsider last week detailed how ">former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort's misuse of iCloud helped lead to his downfall. It turns out the man who prosecuted him, Special Counsel Robert Mueller, is an Apple user himself. Journalist Kelly Cohen of the Washington Examiner posted a photo to Twitter Wednesday of Mueller getting his MacBook Pro looked at by an Apple Store associate, along with a woman who appears to be Mueller's wife. It's not clear if it's an older model being serviced, a new one being set up or a personal laptop being used to configure new portable devices. It appears that a wrapped Apple Watch and at least one other item are on the table as well. Cohen identified the Apple Store location as the Georgetown store in Washington, D.C., and said that the photo was a screenshot posted to Instagram by a friend of a friend: text from a friend - looks like even robert mueller needs technology help pic.twitter.com/F4UG47kO9l — kelly cohen (@politiCOHEN_) September 26, 2018 The replies to Cohen's tweet soon broke into an impromptu caption contest among journalists, Twitter wags, and Russia scandal buffs: 'So, my friend Rod needs a new computer. He has to give up his work laptop soon. What do you suggest?' — Josh Gerstein (@joshgerstein) September 26, 2018 "So, I'm trying to edit this indictment and I keep getting a you can't indict a sitting president' error message." https://t.co/OPUBvVc2Mj — Ahmed Baba (@AhmedBaba_) September 26, 2018 Mueller: I was watching this video in which a couple of people are inside a Russian hotel and suddenly my laptop crashed. — Michael Abromowitz (@FootballExpert) September 26, 2018 "So, Mr. Mueller, you can put all of the indictments on this color-coded spreadsheet." https://t.co/ekDLcGDuZX — James Robert Carroll (@JRCarrollNews) September 26, 2018 Apple Georgetown was Apple's first in the nation's capital when it opened in 2008, although the very first Apple Store was located nearby in McLean, Va. Mueller, the former FBI director who was appointed special counsel for the Russia investigation in May of 2017, also worked as an attorney for WilmerHale, a law firm that has long represented Apple. It's not clear how much or any legal work he ever did personally on behalf of the company.<doc-sep>Robert Mueller surfaced from the Russia investigation this afternoon to ask for help — tech support, specifically. The special counsel and former FBI director was spotted in the Georgetown Apple store today, working with a Genius bar employee to get help with a MacBook Pro. The photo was taken by Meghan Pianta, who works in communications in DC; we initially caught it via Washington Examiner reporter Kelly Cohen. In the photo, you can see a pained, confused look on the special counsel’s face. What is he looking at? We tried calling the Apple store to find out, but were stymied by endless phone trees. An investigator who went on location on behalf of The Verge said there was no sighting of either Mueller or the employee seen helping him. Whatever it was, the Apple Genius’ help comes at a critical juncture. Mueller’s investigation appears to be more in jeopardy than ever with his boss, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, facing a strong likelihood of being pushed out. And it’s long been speculated that President Trump hopes to shake up the Justice Department after the midterms, which are just over a month away. Then again, the photo shows Mueller sitting beside his wife. So maybe they’re just having iCloud issues.<doc-sep>
The Apple Store can be quite the place to spot celebrities and well-known public figures. An image doing the rounds on Twitter shows Robert Mueller, the special prosecutor in charge of the Russia investigation, participating in a recent Genius Bar session. The Genius Bar appointment took place at the Apple Store in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Mueller appears to be having issues with his MacBook Pro. text from a friend – looks like even robert mueller needs technology help pic.twitter.com/F4UG47kO9l — kelly cohen (@politiCOHEN_) September 26, 2018 The photo was posted on Twitter by Kelly Cohen, a journalist for the Washington Examiner. Cohen says she didn’t take the photo herself, but rather received it from a friend. Apple Insider points out that, while Mueller is best known for being the ex-FBI director in charge of the Russia investigation, he has also worked for WilmerHale, a law firm known for representing Apple — although it’s not known whether Mueller ever directly worked on one of Apple’s cases. For what it’s worth, Apple has occasionally run into problems in Russia — particularly due to the country’s anti-LGBT laws. After Tim Cook publicly came out as gay, politicians in Russia not only argued that he should be banned from the country, but also extended the grievance to include Cook’s heterosexual predecessor Steve Jobs, who had an honorary statue taken down and sold off as a result. It has also gotten upset at Apple for “promoting homosexuality” with its range of LGBT-friendly emojis.