Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into President Donald Trump's ties to Russia may be turning a profit, according to a Justice Department report filed on Friday.
So far, the probe has cost $25 million, the report said, falling far short of the $30 and $40 million figures thrown around by Trump.
Trump's TV lawyer Rudy Giuliani has also made questionable claims about the expenses incurred by Mueller and his team of prosecutors. Back in May, Giuliani stated Mueller had "wasted $20 million on an investigation that begins without any evidence and ends without any evidence."
Between May 17, 2017 (the day Mueller was appointed after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey) and March 31, 2018, the investigation had a price tag of $16.7 million, meaning Giuliani was just making up numbers.
"The department previously reported $6.7 million in direct and indirect costs from May through September 2017 and $10 million from October 2017 through March 2018," CNN noted, "bringing the total from all three reports over the life of the investigation to just over $25 million. Of that amount, only $12.3 million is the special counsel's direct expenditures."
The profit lies with the assets seized from Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chair, which amount to somewhere between $42 and $46 million.
As part of his plea deal with Mueller, Manafort agreed to hand over cash and real estate, including a condo in Trump Tower, a Brooklyn brownstone, and a mansion in the Hamptons.
Mueller has charged 36 people and entities with crimes and seven guilty pleas, that that is not including Manafort's multiple convictions in August for financial crimes and fraud.
The American people are getting their money's worth.
The math speaks for itself.
Maybe Trump should take some pointers.
Trump is outgunned.
But, you know, "WiTcH hUnT."
@jaketapoer/Bluesky
@BillAckman/Twitter