DOJ spent more than $9 million to indict Trump over classified documents

More than $9 million. That's how much the Department of Justice (DOJ) spent on special prosecutor Jack Smith's investigation between November 2022 and March 2023 that ended with Donald Trump being indicted by Judge Aileen Cannon in Miami. The cost of Robert Hur's investigation into Biden for possession of classified documents was also made public, which barely exceeded $1 million between January and the end of March.

Nearly $5.5 million in direct costs for Trump inquiries

Smith's research had two purposes. On the one hand, he wanted to investigate the former president's involvement in the attempt to overturn the 2020 election results. and, on the other hand, to study Trump's alleged criminal behavior for withholding classified documentation at his Mar-a-Lago home after leaving the White House. For the time being, the special prosecutor and his team filed an indictment against Trump and his former aide, Walt Nauta, for an alleged scheme to withhold classified national defense information and obstruct federal investigators. Both the former president and Nauta pleaded "not guilty."

According to the document, released last Friday, Smith's investigation has directly cost the DOJ nearly $5.5 million. Most of the money was spent on employee salaries, travel and transportation, rent, supplies and materials.

Another $3.8 million has to be added to this, which is what the DOJ paid in FBI and U.S. Marshals Service personnel costs. related to the two Smith investigations for investigative matters and protective details. The DOJ emphasized that disclosure of this data was not mandatory, but they preferred to do so in the interest of greater transparency.

Biden investigation barely cost $615,000 in direct spending

The money DOJ spent significantly more on Trump's indictment compared to Hur's investigations into President Biden for the classified documents found in his home and offices from his time as Barack Obama's vice president. Hur's office spent $615,962, plus an additional half a million dollars in FBI expenses and marshal support.

Joe Durham spent even more money while investigating the alleged Russian collusion in the 2016 election. According to Tom Fitton, president of Justice Watch, "In four months, Smith has spent the equivalent of more than 70% of the total cost of the two-and-a-half-year Durham investigation." The costs of this research, between 2020 and 2023 amounted to $7,683,839.