Special Counsel Jack Smith‘s two-year investigation into former US President Donald Trump is likely to cost US taxpayers over $50 million, according to Department of Justice expenditure reports.
Jack Smith’s office had been looking into two major cases against Donald Trump: his keeping of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago after leaving office in 2021 and his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results. These cases were moving forward, but Trump’s win in the 2024 election created a legal problem. According to Justice Department rules, a sitting president cannot be prosecuted for criminal charges, meaning the cases against Trump were paused until his term ends.
Since his appointment in November 2022, Smith’s office has faced significant costs. The first report, covering mid-November 2022 to March 31, 2023, shows expenses of around $9.25 million. A later report showed that from April to September 2023, spending increased to $14.66 million. The most recent expenditure report, from October 2023 to March 2024, indicated a further $11.84 million in costs. These figures include both direct costs and indirect expenses, the latter coming from other Justice Department agencies.
An average of the three reported periods suggests the total cost of Smith’s investigation is nearing $50 million. Newsweek reported that the final figure is likely to exceed this amount, as the figures do not include expenses from the current period (April to September 2024).
The judge overseeing the election interference case agreed to drop the charges, while a decision on the classified documents case remains pending. Trump responded to the decision on Truth Social, calling the investigations “empty and lawless” and claiming they “should never have been brought.”
“Nothing like this has ever happened in our Country before,” Trump added, criticising state prosecutors and district attorneys for allegedly targeting him, as reported by Fox News.
On Tuesday, the appeals court granted Special Prosecutor Jack Smith’s request to dismiss a case against Trump. This followed Monday’s ruling, which also saw a separate case, accusing Trump of attempting to illegally overturn the 2020 election, being dismissed.
Attorney General Merrick Garland had appointed Smith to oversee the federal investigations into Trump’s alleged role in the 2020 election and his handling of classified documents.
