Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith has spent more than $5.4 million in the first five months of his investigation into former President Trump’s handling of classified documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, according to a newly released report.
About $2.6 million of that total paid for personnel compensation and benefits, and almost $1.9 million paid for contractual services, primarily legal and investigative support. Other funds went toward rent, travel and equipment.
In addition, more than $3.8 million has been spent by other Justice Department agencies assisting in Smith’s investigation, the report says. That brings the total cost of the investigation to more than $9 million.
Smith was tapped by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November to examine Trump’s handling of classified documents that were stored at his Mar-a-Lago home, plus the former president’s role in efforts to stop the certification of the 2020 election.
Last month, Trump and a personal aide, Walt Nauta, were indicted in the classified documents case on charges alleging he violated the Espionage Act and obstructed justice in taking classified records from his presidency and not returning them. They both plead not guilty.
Cost of Durham, Hur investigations
The DOJ also released reports detailing the recent spending of special counsels John Durham and Robert Hur.
Durham, who was appointed by former Attorney General William Barr to investigate the probe into former President Trump’s alleged ties to Russia, spent $1.1 million in the last six months of his investigation. The majority of those funds went toward paying personnel. An extra $59,000 was spent by other DOJ agencies.
Durham’s investigation ended in May with a scathing report that found authorities did not have sufficient evidence to open the case. He said the FBI relied on “raw, unanalyzed and uncorroborated intelligence” in its investigation, which he described as “seriously deficient.”
Hur was tapped by Garland to probe President Biden’s handling of classified documents. Since mid-January, he has spent $615,000 on that inquiry. But more than $570,000 was spent by other Justice Department agencies assisting in the investigation, bringing the total cost to nearly $1.2 million.
Hur has not yet filed any charges.