The Department of Justice (DOJ) has come under scrutiny for its substantial expenditure on investigations involving former President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden.
Fox News reported on Saturday, January 6, 2024, that expenditure reports spanning from April 2023 to September 2023 indicate that the DOJ has spent more than three times the amount investigating Trump compared to its probe into Biden’s handling of classified documents.
Special Counsel Jack Smith, appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November 2022, led the investigations into Trump’s alleged misconduct.
The figures disclosed in the recent expenditure report expose a staggering $23 million spent on Trump-related probes.
These costs encompass various expenses, including compensation and benefits for personnel, travel, supplies, rent, and additional services
The breakdown of expenses reveals that approximately $7.3 million went directly towards Smith’s investigation, covering essential elements such as personnel and logistical support.
Additionally, other DOJ agencies incurred costs of around $7.2 million, attributed to the utilization of investigative support analysts and security details for the special counsel “when warranted.”
Comparatively, the DOJ’s investigation into President Biden’s handling of classified documents, led by Special Counsel Robert Hur, demonstrates a significant contrast in costs.
The reports show that from April 2023 to September 2023, the Biden probe consumed $6.4 million – a fraction of the expenses amassed during Trump-related investigations.
Hur, a former U.S. attorney, was appointed by Garland in January to scrutinize Biden’s actions regarding classified documents dating back to the Obama administration.
The probe originated from the discovery of a set of records, including a “small number of documents with classified markings,” at the Penn Biden Center on November 2, 2022.
During the same period, Hur’s investigation incurred costs of $2.8 million, with supporting DOJ agencies contributing an additional $2.4 million.
The initial expenditure report from Smith’s investigations, covering mid-November 2022 through the end of March 2023, already revealed a significant taxpayer burden of $9 million.
Combining this with the recent report, the total cost of investigating Trump exceeds $23 million, raising questions about the allocation of resources and the necessity of such extensive spending.
Trump, who pleaded not guilty to all charges stemming from Smith’s investigation, faces federal charges related to the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, and the mishandling of classified documents, with a total of 37 felony charges. Notably, Biden participated in a voluntary interview with Hur regarding the classified documents case.
