Suddenly, Republicans Don't Care About How Mueller Spent His Money
For months it was a major concern for lawmakers, who framed the investigation as a taxpayer burden. Now, its barely discussed.
Sam Brodey
04.04.19 4:58 AM ET
In the early months of 2019, as Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation headed to a close, congressional Republicans were just as interested in how much it cost to fund his probe as they were in what it actually found.
By March, Republicans on Capitol Hill were decrying how long the investigation had dragged on, frequently pointing out the amount of taxpayer dollarsreportedly some $25 millionthat went toward funding it. They made clear they expected the special counsel to provide a comprehensive accounting of how much he spent and whyand also made clear that getting those answers would be a priority for the GOP.
In a statement on March 22, the day Mueller submitted his report to the Department of Justice, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), the Houses No. 2 Republican, said he expected Attorney General William Barr to brief lawmakers on how much it cost Mueller to bully people during his meandering investigation.
But since Barr released a summary of Muellers findingswhich stated that Trump did not collude with Russia (by the legal standard) and cleared him on dicier accusations that he obstructed the investigationmost Republicans have grown agnostic if not downright quiet in their quest to find out the taxpayer burden of the Russiagate probe, choosing instead to take a victory lap over Trumps self-described exoneration and urging Democrats to move on.
Asked on Wednesday if he wanted to learn more about the price tag of the special counsel probe, Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, sidestepped the question, instead launching into a defense of Barr. A senior member of the committee, Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), shrugged at the same question.
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