"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"
About this Quote
Then comes the rhetorical sweep: "there isn't an agent or a support person". It’s a deliberately totalizing construction, widening the circle beyond badge-and-gun heroics to include analysts, translators, technicians, administrators - the backstage workforce that makes federal power feel omnipresent. That inclusion does double duty: it humanizes the institution while also implying unanimity, a subtle inoculation against doubt, dissent, or second-guessing inside the bureau.
The subtext is about restoring control in the face of a public trauma. By shifting attention from vulnerability ("terrorist attack") to action ("bringing to justice"), Mueller offers reassurance without sentiment. The language is procedural, almost bloodless, and that’s the point: restraint reads as competence. "Committed" signals resolve, but "bringing to justice" is the crucial euphemism - it wraps vengeance in legality, retaliation in due process.
In context - post-9/11 or any major terror incident - this is institutional rhetoric designed to unify, to warn adversaries, and to reassure citizens that the state remains coherent. It’s not poetry. It’s the sound of a system promising it will not be embarrassed again.
Quote Details
| Topic | Justice |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Mueller, Robert. (2026, January 16). 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. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-from-the-moment-that-we-realized-it-was-a-85472/
Chicago Style
Mueller, Robert. "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." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-from-the-moment-that-we-realized-it-was-a-85472/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"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." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-from-the-moment-that-we-realized-it-was-a-85472/. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.

