Alex Wong/Getty Images legal Russia probe’s price tag nearly $32 million, DOJ says

Spending in the Russia investigation for the duration of former special counsel Robert Mueller’s work hit nearly $32 million, according to a government report released Friday.

That total covers all of Mueller’s receipts through the end of May, soon after he had closed his office and issued his 448-page report, which did not contain enough evidence to prove a criminal conspiracy between Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia but did show evidence suggesting the president tried to thwart the probe.


Mueller’s office alone was responsible for about $16.4 million in spending dating to its creation in the spring of 2017. But the Department of Justice has also itemized $15.3 million that accounts for spending on the Russia investigation that would have happened whether or not the special counsel’s office had been established.

By far, Mueller’s largest line-item went toward salaries and benefits: $9.7 million over the course of his nearly two-year investigation. His office also reported spending $3.1 million on rent, communications and utilities; $1.6 million on travel and personal transportation; and $902,000 on contractual services that primarily covered information technology.

Government spending on the Russia probe has been a frequent point of contention for President Trump, who in late May complained the investigation had come with a $40 million price tag.

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In fact, Mueller’s spent far less than that. And that also doesn’t count what the government has taken into its coffers from Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign chairman whose convictions and plea deal resulted in the forfeiture to the Treasury of real estate, bank accounts and a life-insurance policy.

“The cost of your investigation to the taxpayers approaches zero,” House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler said last month during Mueller’s appearance before the Democratic-led panel, saying the figure recovered by the government was “as much as $42 million.” Others have estimated the figure may be much lower once the amount of money Manafort owed on his mortgages is deducted.

DOJ has released four spending statements connected with the Mueller probe — it put out one every six months — since December 2017. Friday’s report said that a final tally is expected later this year and will cover any additional administrative costs or adjustments tied to closing Mueller’s office, which at its peak employed 19 lawyers. Mueller also relied on about 40 FBI agents, intelligence analysts, forensic accountants and other professional staff.

CLARIFICATION: This story has been updated to reflect uncertainty about how much money the government has recovered after prosecuting the Manafort case.