Special Counsel Jack Smith spent more than $5 million investigating former President Donald Trump, according to a Justice Department tally.
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Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Special Counsel Jack Smith spent more than $5 million investigating former President Donald Trump, according to a Justice Department tally.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
The special counsel investigating former President Donald Trump’s refusal to return classified documents and key aspects of the siege of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, has spent $5.4 million so far. la for his duties, according to a newly released financial report of his early months. in the office.
More than half of the funds were used by Jack Smith, a former war crimes prosecutor who also led the Justice Department unit that investigates public corruption, paying the salaries of agents, attorneys and employees. Other DOJs. New filings say another $1.6 million was spent to assist with litigation or investigations.
Smith, who received the threats, was protected by a security detail from the US Marshals Service. The Justice Department said his office had spent $1.9 million in salary on sheriffs through March 31 of this year.
Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith last Novembershortly after Trump officially announced himself as a candidate to return to the White House in 2024, and after incumbent President Joe Biden sent a strong signal that he would run for re-election.
Smith has charged Trump and his servant, Walt Nauta, with conspiracy to obstruct the investigation of classified documents as well as other serious crimes. Both men pleaded not guilty in a federal court in south Florida.
The Justice Department regularly publishes spending reports for its special prosecutors, who are named in cases where senior leaders have determined that ordinary prosecutors take the lead. an investigation would create a conflict of interest and the appointment of an outsider is in the “public interest”. in charge of.
The DOJ also released financial statements on two other special advisors on Friday.
Robert Hur, former US attorney in Baltimore during the Trump administration, is overseeing an investigation into the unauthorized removal and storage of classified documents at the Penn Biden Center for Foreign Affairs and Engagement in Washington, DC, and at his Wilmington, Del., mansion. Hur was named on January 12, 2023 and began work in February. He’s spent nearly $616,000 so far. About half, or $310,000, went to police chiefs for security.
Finally, John Durham, who was appointed by former Trump attorney general Bill Barr to review the FBI investigation into Trump and Russia, spent $1.2 million between October 2022 and March 2023. For most of that time, Durham wrote his final report. During his tenure, he built a joint ombudsman investigation to reach a plea agreement with a former FBI attorney. Durham has lost two other prosecutions in federal courts in Washington and Northern Virginia. He testified to the House Judiciary Committee last monthin what may be the last word about his work.
