Mueller investigation cost $25 million in first 16 months, report shows

Special counsel Robert Mueller has spent just over $25 million in his probe of any links between the Trump campaign and Russia, according to a new filing released Friday.

The filing shows that Mueller spent a total of $4.5 million in the six-month period between April and October, with most of the fees going to personnel compensation and benefits. The probe incurred another $4 million in costs to Justice Department components not directly tied to the inquiry.

President Donald Trump has blasted Mueller for the cost of the probe. In June, the president wrote in a post on Twitter that “the Russian Hoax Investigation has now cost our government over $17 million, and going up fast.”

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But the inquiry has proceeded along relatively quickly and at less expense than similar inquiries conducted by the Justice Department, such as Kenneth Starr’s investigation into President Bill Clinton.

Some have noted that Mueller’s prosecution of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort also netted cash for the government, thanks to asset forfeitures Manafort agreed to as part of his plea agreement. In September, Manafort agreed to hand over real estate and cash estimated to be worth as much as $46 million. That money does not contribute to Mueller’s budget.

In the latest filing, Mueller reported spending nearly $3 million on compensation, $580,000 on travel and transportation, $1 million on rent and related expenses, and $300,000 on contractual services, primarily related to IT.

Since he began his probe in May 2017, Mueller has filed more than 100 criminal charges against 33 individuals and three companies. Twenty-five of those indicted in connection with the probe are Russian nationals.