Mueller’s Russia Probe Has Already Cost Taxpayers $25 Million, Report Reveals
Robert Mueller's report on the Russia investigation slammed by Trump
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More than $25 million of taxpayer money has been spent on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, according to the most recent spending report released Friday.
In this year alone, between April 1 and Sept. 30, $4.56 million has been spent on the investigation.
President Trump slammed special counsel Robert Mueller's report on the Russia investigation asking why he isn't investigating "crimes of many kinds from those 'on the other side,'" before asking "whatever happened to Podesta?"
“The Department will continue to dedicate and leverage resources to maintain strong program and financial management controls,” the report stated.
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“Management takes its program and financial accountability seriously and is dedicated to ensuring that funds are used responsibly and transparently.”
Of the $4.56 million, $2.9 million went to “Personnel Compensation and Benefits” with $1 million being spent on special counsel employees’ salaries and benefits, a further $1.9 million was “reimbursable” for Justice Department employees.
$942,787 was spent on “Rent, Communications, and Utilities.”
$60,000 on printing, supplies, and materials.
$580,098 on transportation and travel.
With the bulk of those funds going to “temporary duty relocation of DOJ employees detailed” to the special counsel’s office.
When Mueller does his final report, will he be covering all of his conflicts of interest in a preamble, will he be recommending action on all of the crimes of many kinds from those “on the other side”(whatever happened to Podesta?), and will he be putting in statements from.....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2018
....hundreds of people closely involved with my campaign who never met, saw or spoke to a Russian during this period? So many campaign workers, people inside from the beginning, ask me why they have not been called (they want to be). There was NO Collusion & Mueller knows it!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2018
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$310,732 was spent on “contractual services” by the special counsel’s office (thee reports notes it was mainly “IT services.”)
Another $3.9 million was spent on Justice Department spending for the same period.
The report records that cost “would have incurred for the investigations irrespective of the existence of the [Special Counsel’s Office].”
According to Fox: Between April 1 and Sept. 30, Mueller has sent former Trump foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos and former Manafort associate Alex van der Zwaan to federal prison to serve short sentences; accepted a guilty plea from former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who faces up to 80 years in prison and a guilty plea from former Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen for making false statements to Congress; and received President Trump’s answers to critical questions in the investigation, among other things.
The sum spent during this period mirrors that of the previous period—Oct.1 2017 through March 31, 2018, when the special counsel spent $4.5 million.
Neither reporting period includes the $5.5 million spent by the Justice Department on other expenses related to the Russia investigation.
Mueller was appointed special counsel by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
Previously, the Justice Department said that through the May-September 2017 period, the investigation cost nearly $7 million.
That sum included $3.2 million in direct, special counsel expenses and $3.5 million for other Justice Department expenses, covering costs like agents working on raids or interviews and other government contractors.
