WASHINGTON, DC: Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigations into Donald Trump’s mishandling of confidential documents and his attempts to rig the 2020 election have already cost over $ 10 million, including $2 million in security. The 54-year-old Smith was appointed on November 18 and since then, he has assembled a team of 40–60 prosecutors, paralegals, and support personnel to investigate the former president.
The Justice Department previously reported that Smith’s office, leading the high-profile investigations into Trump, has spent more than $5.4 million between November and March 31. This consisted of more than $2.6 million for employee pay and benefits and just under $1.8 million for contractual services including legal defense and IT assistance. An additional $3.8 million was also spent by other DOJ entities to support Smith’s investigation, according to CNN. These expenses include the cost of the protective details for the special counsel’s office as well as hours worked by agents and analysts on the probes.
Who is Jack Smith's wife?
Now, it has been revealed that US Marshalls are currently providing protection for Smith, his family, and other prosecutors at a cost of $2 million so far, according to Daily Mail. Smith, who shares a daughter with his wife, Katy Chevigny, lived in the Netherlands until last year when he moved to the United States to lead the two investigations involving Trump. On June 8, Smith charged Trump with 37 counts relating to the documents that he had unlawfully stored at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Trump and his valet, Walt Nauta, who was charged alongside the former president, have both pleaded not guilty.
Smith is now expected to bring new charges against Trump in connection to allegations of interfering in the 2020 election. The New York Times previously reported that Smith's investigations are currently on track to cost US taxpayers $25 million in a year. ''What Jack Smith is doing is actually pretty cheap considering the momentous nature of the charges,'' said Timothy J Heaphy, former US attorney who served as lead investigator for the House committee that investigated the Capitol assault. On Sunday, July 23, Trump criticized Smith's investigation, stating that the money spent by his legal team was absurd.
‘They are trying to steal the Election’
''Every time you see these Radical Lunatics and their partners in the Fake News Media talking about the 'Trials and Tribulations' of President Donald J. Trump, please remember that it is all a coordinated HOAX, just like Russia, Russia, Russia, the 'No Collusion' Mueller Witch Hunt, the Fake Dossier, FISA Fraud, and all of the rest, in order to STEAL ANOTHER ELECTION through PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT at levels never seen before in the U.S. Deranged Jack Smith has already spent over $25,000,000!!!,'' Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. The former president continued by noting that ''Biden is a criminal, and almost no money, by comparison, has been spent investigating him. Get smart, Republicans, they are trying to steal the Election from you!''