In the latest example of how special counsels might not be worth what taxpayers spend on them, Judicial Watch has uncovered last year’s budget for Russiagate special counsel John Durham, who hasn’t made many headlines.
The public watchdog just revealed information it received from the Department of Justice. This is what they told us:
CPAC WRAP: DESANTIS STALLED, UKRAINE FUNDING OPPOSED
- The supplemental response includes an unredacted June 30, 2021, memo from former Assistant Attorney General Lee Lofthus to Attorney General [Merrick] Garland with the subject line “Fiscal Year 2022 Special Counsel’s Office Budget Request,” showing a previously withheld estimated budget of $8,627,629.
- Attached is the John Durham Special Counsel Office Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 budget plan. The Justice Management Division has completed its review under 28 C.F.R. 600.8(a)(1). The FY 2022 budget estimate is $4,463,525 which, after Office of Management and Budget technical adjustments for the mandatory sequester, totals $4,209,104 in available operational funds.
- In a line-item breakout of costs for FY 2022 attached to the memo, DOJ has now released figures indicating that total income paid to “Full Time Permanent” personnel, including benefits, was $1,874,193. Non-reimbursable costs totaled $2,334,911, for costs such as travel ($457,207), rent ($306,350), and “Other Contractual Services” ($1,297,054). The budget also indicates there was one direct position, 11 “Reimbursable Detailees” and three “Non-Reimbursable Investigative Staff,” for a total of 15 personnel.
Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said, “Special counsel Durham has spent millions in tax dollars to investigate the worst government corruption scandal in American history, the abuse of Trump, to little good end.”
- The White House is proposing to add more racial categories to the census. For example, white people are given one choice now but would have six subcategories to choose from in the future: white, plus German, Italian, French, Irish, Polish, or English. The biggest change might be how black people describe themselves: “American Freedman” or “American Descendant of Slavery.”
- Two former congressional Republican stars picked up new jobs last week. Former Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) got his own center at the University of Cincinnati, the Portman Center for Policy Solutions, which will focus on bipartisan engagement. And former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) received a special post to lecture on democracy at the University of Virginia.
