The Special Counsel’s Office has spent over $5.5 million in its investigation of former President Donald Trump, which has been ongoing for four months.
The office of Special Counsel Jack Smith on Friday released a statement of expenditures from November 2022 through March 2023.
Smith’s office is investigating Trump’s handling of classified documents and his role in the January 6, 2021, march on the U.S. Capitol. Trump has been indicted in federal court on 37 charges related to secret documents.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has spent more than $9 million so far on the Trump investigations, CNN reported, as other components of the department have spent $3.8 million supporting the Special Counsel’s Office.
“The Department recognizes the importance of maintaining adequate internal control and is committed to the continuous improvement and oversight of financial management controls,” according to the document.
Smith lists seven categories in his budget, including expenses related to “Personnel Compensation and Benefits,” travel, utilities, printing, contractual services, supplies, and “Acquisition of Equipment.”
The largest sums were $2,672,783 for personnel compensation and benefits. The second-largest amount was $1,881,926 for contracted services.
“The Department will continue to dedicate and leverage resources to maintain strong program and financial management controls. Management takes its program and financial accountability seriously and is dedicated to ensuring that funds are used in a responsible and transparent manner,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, the DOJ released the financial report for Robert Hur, the special counsel overseeing an investigation into classified documents found at President Joe Biden’s home from the time he was vice president under former President Barack Obama. Hur spent $615,963 between January 12 and March 31, 2023, and supporting DOJ entities spent $572,185.
Earlier this year, John Durham completed his report on the FBI’s mishandling of the Trump-Russia investigation. He spent $1.1 million in the six months before March 31, 2023, and a total of $7.6 million over the three and a half years of the full investigation. Including the expenses of the other DOJ entities’ support, the investigation totaled around $9.4 million.
When Robert Mueller investigated Russia’s influence on the 2016 election, he spent about $16.4 million, the final DOJ report states. Including other DOJ component expenses, this figure balloons to about $32 million. His investigation started in 2017 and lasted about two years.
