Mueller team reports $4.5M in expenses from October to March

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team of investigators incurred more than $4.5 million in expenses from October to March while probing Russia’s influence in the 2016 presidential election. 

A report released by the Justice Department on Tuesday revealed the special counsel spent a total of $4,506,624 from October 1 to March 31.

Mueller’s spending has been consistent since the first report of the team’s expenditures detailing the probe’s first four and a half months, which cost $6.7 million. Most of that money was spent on compensation for his team of 17 attorneys. 

From October 2017 to March 2018, the special counsel spent $2.7 million on compensation and benefits, $532,340 on transportation and travel, and $886,403 on rent and utilities.

While the Justice Department emphasized its commitment to spending controls and financial responsibility in the report, the costs of Mueller’s probe have come under scrutiny by Republicans in Congress who wish to see the investigation come to a quick end. 

Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said earlier this month that he plans to seek a formal financial audit of the investigation to ensure the money allocated by Congress is being spent properly. 

Still, Congress has little means to siphon off funding from the special counsel. Mueller’s budget is not part of the annual Justice Department funding package approved by Congress, but falls under a special Treasury Department account.