New revelations detailing the cost of the federal classified documents case against former President Donald Trump suggest special counsel Jack Smith and his staff are on pace to spend more than $25 million in a single year, with the potential for a second criminal indictment in the coming days or weeks.
Sources close to Smith’s investigation told the New York Times that his team, which employees between 40 and 60 people, has spent $9.2 million during his four months on the job, including $1.9 million paid to the U.S. Marshals for personal protection for the prosecutor, his family, and other investigators. Smith claims he and several colleagues have faced threats on social media following posts made by President Trump targeting him and criticizing the investigation.
By the end of the year, Smith will have accrued at least $25 million in bills related to his investigation, which has charged President Trump with dozens of felony counts related to his handling of classified documents taken from the White House which he claims were declassified under his authority as president.
The figure alone just scratches the surface of the total cost by the Justice Department to prosecute Trump and supporters who participated in the January 6, 2021 riots at the Capitol. Altogether, the DOJ’s investigations into J6 represent its largest effort in history.
One official who spoke with the Times said Smith is paying the “Trump tax” which is understood to be the extra burden faced with bringing the first criminal prosecution against a former president in the nation’s history.
As the case progresses, House Republicans have dragged FBI Director Christopher Wray before the House Judiciary Committee for testimony about the weaponization of the federal government against political enemies of President Joe Biden. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has introduced a bill to defund Smith’s office while Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) has laid out a strategy of subpoenas and depositions meant to disrupt the investigation into the Republican frontrunner.
President Trump may soon face another criminal indictment by the DOJ related to statements and actions made in advance of the J6 riots. Last week, Smith sent the former president a letter indicating he may be charged under a Civil War-era voting rights law. President Trump has previously told supporters he expects to be indicted again, a development that would seemingly only help his rising poll numbers among Republican voters who feel the federal government’s investigations are politically motivated.
