The website Deplorable Society claimed Wednesday that the net worth of special counsel Robert Mueller has been “uncovered”:
Redstatewave, who readers may recall from a recent fact check, cites a “report” from the website finapp.co.in. (If that web address gives you pause, it should.) The website, which lacks any sourcing, claims that Mueller owns four “luxury cars,” has an estimated net worth of $18 million, and an annual salary of $160,000.
It’s this last figure that the Deplorable Society gets entirely wrong, incorrectly claiming that finapp.co.in lists Mueller as taking in “a yearly income of $2 million bucks.”
It should be noted that fineapp.co.in has little to no faith in their own reporting. Section three of the site’s terms and conditions, titled “accuracy, completeness and timelines of information” clarifies that they “are not responsible if information made available on this site is not accurate, complete or current. . . . Any reliance on the material on this site is at your own risk.” Which should be a giant red flag that nothing on the site should be treated as reliable.
So what do we know about Mueller’s income?
Prior to Mueller’s appointment as special counsel, he earned almost $3.5 million at the WilmerHale law firm from the spring of 2014 to May of 2017 according to his financial disclosures in August of last year. Mueller also made money at speaking engagements throughout that time.
Now, according to a Department of Justice document reviewed by Time, Mueller earns $161,900 annually. “A $161,900 salary matches the top yearly salary possible for Washington D.C.-based federal employees who appear on last year’s general pay scale for federal employees,” Time reported. “DOJ attorneys, with a few exceptions, are covered by that general pay scale, the DOJ website says.”
The Deplorable Society’s claim—which also appeared on websites including Redstatewave and Right Wing News is wrong in just about every way possible: On Mueller’s income in recent years, his income now, and the trajectory of his income (which decreased when he was appointed as the special counsel). And as for the question of Mueller’s net worth, relying on a figure from finapp.co.in—by that website’s own accounting—is about as accurate as using a Magic 8 Ball.
The cherry on top is that the Deplorable Society’s headline insinuates that Mueller’s finances are somehow tied to Hillary Clinton: “Mueller’s Insance Net Worth Just Uncovered And Everyone Wants to Know Where It’s From—Hillary?” But the article itself offers no reputable evidence that Mueller’s finances are at all connected to Clinton’s.
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