Trump picks Dr. Marty Makary as Food and Drug Administration commissioner
Taxpayers foot bill for $23M in DOJ investigations into Trump, $6.4M Biden probe
The Department of Justice has spent a total of $23 million on investigations into President Donald Trump and his associates in the past three years, according to government spending data. That includes $6.4 million for a probe into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.
The Trump-related investigations include the Russia probe, the New York Southern District investigations, the Michael Cohen case, and the prosecution of Roger Stone. The Biden investigation, sparked by a complaint from a partisan whistleblower, was opened earlier this year and is ongoing.
The DOJ spending numbers were first reported by NPR, citing its analysis of government documents. The data covers expenses totaled from October 2017 to May 2020.
According to the documents, the Trump-related investigations have collectively cost taxpayers around $20.7 million. The largest investigation, the Russia probe, cost $18.2 million. The Michael Cohen investigation cost $1.8 million, and the investigation into the New York Southern District cost $810,000. The prosecution of Roger Stone cost $573,000.
Meanwhile, the Biden investigation has cost $6.4 million.
The spending numbers highlight the immense amount of attention and resources the Department of Justice has poured into the investigations. It’s unclear how much of the money was spent directly investigating President Trump or his team, as some of the expenses could be related to other matters that were a part of the investigations.