The Department of Justice (DOJ) released a financial update on Special Counsel John Durham’s investigation into the origins of the Russia collusion investigation.
According to a report from The Washington Times, Durham only spent about $1.5 million during the first six months of his investigation.
Only 1.5 million
The DOJ released the financial update from the investigation on Friday, ahead of the Memorial Day weekend. The document contains a breakdown of Durham’s expenses from Oct. 19, 2020, when Durhan was made special counsel, to March 31, 2021.
During that period, according to the DOJ, Durham spent about $1.5 million.
Per the report, $934,313 of this total was spent by Durham directly. About $900,000 went to personnel and the rest went toward travel and IT services. The remaining $520,856 was spent by Durham’s team, which has been tracking their expenditures.
Notably, $1.5 million spent on the investigation is less than a quarter of the money spent by special counsel Robert Mueller during the first six months of his Russia-Trump collusion investigation.
Or, for example, the investigation by independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr into then-President Bill Clinton spent $6.2 million in the last six months of 1998.
“Sham”
As noted by The Washington Times, “For conservatives who are already disappointed by Mr. Durham’s lack of results after two years on the job, the price tag only confirms suspicions that his investigation is a sham.”
The potential implications of Durham’s financial report were highlighted by the president of Judicial Watch, Tom Fitton.
“The budget demonstrates what I think observers have already concluded: the investigation is low energy, and he’s disinterested in getting to the bottom of the worst government corruption scandal in government history,” Fitton said.
However, Andrew Leipold, a law professor at the University of Illinois, said because about 16 months of work is missing from the financial report, it’s difficult to make any accurate conclusions. He also noted that expensive investigative trips may not have happened because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “If interviews are being done by Zoom that makes what would be a big cost a little cost,” he said.
Nevertheless, former President Donald Trump has long cast doubt on the intensity of the investigation. “Where’s Durham?” Trump said in March, according to the Times. “Is he a living, breathing human being? Will there ever be a Durham report?”
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