Witchhunt: Special Counsel Investigation Has Had Disastrous Effect on Taxpayers
It’s been a big couple of weeks for all news related to special counsel Robert Mueller and his investigation, which is to say it’s been a big couple of weeks for liberal media figures breathlessly telling us, “Oh my God, they’ve found more stuff on Trump! There’s no way he’s going to stay in office now!“
Well, right. I’m not saying that the cases involving Michael Cohen, Michael Flynn and/or Maria Butina aren’t major news, but I’m not as sure impeachment is nigh as, say, your average CNN host is.
Oh, and wasn’t this investigation originally supposed to be about Russia? Last I checked, the best hope for impeachment seemed to be with campaign finance violations involving how the president dealt with non-disclosure agreements handled through Cohen, not with any sort of collusion with Moscow.
I suppose one ought to wait for the report, although it’s difficult not to criticize when you look at just how much of our tax money has gone to the investigation.
According to a report from the Washington Free Beacon published Friday, “The special counsel investigation into the 2016 election has cost taxpayers over $25 million and counting.”
“Robert Mueller’s office released its latest expenditures spanning from April 1, 2018, through Sept. 30, 2018, finding the special counsel racked up over $8.4 million in five months,” Elizabeth Harrington reported.
“The statement of expenditures reveals Mueller and his team of lawyers cost over $4.5 million for salaries and rent, and an additional $3.9 million in resources from the Department of Justice.”
Included in this total was $2.8 million in compensation and benefits, $580,098 for travel and transportation, $942,787 for rent and utilities and $310,732 on contractural services.
Perhaps the most aggrieving part of the whole thing? Of this, only $3,906,000 was spent on the Russia investigation.
“The total cost during the five-month period was $8,473,533,” the Free Beacon reported.
Back in May, Trump decried the special counsel’s spending on what he called a “Witch Hunt.”
….At what point does this soon to be $20,000,000 Witch Hunt, composed of 13 Angry and Heavily Conflicted Democrats and two people who have worked for Obama for 8 years, STOP! They have found no Collussion with Russia, No Obstruction, but they aren’t looking at the corruption…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 20, 2018
“At what point does this soon to be $20,000,000 Witch Hunt, composed of 13 Angry and Heavily Conflicted Democrats and two people who have worked for Obama for 8 years, STOP!” he tweeted.
“They have found no Collussion (sic) with Russia, No Obstruction, but they aren’t looking at the corruption.”
Well, now it’s $25 million. Is there an end in sight? We’re certainly closer than we were, but that isn’t saying a whole lot. We’ve gotten a few guilty pleas, but nothing that really seems to prove Russian collusion as of yet.
Maybe the proof will be in the pudding. Until then, this has been a very expensive investigation indeed — and if it does turn out to be a witch hunt as the president says it is, the American people have every reason to be angry.
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