Elizabeth Warren calls for release of taxpayer-funded Mueller report
Massachusetts Democratic senator, and 2020 presidential hopeful, Elizabeth Warren called for the public release of the full report conducted by special counsel Robert Mueller, which she says taxpayers have a right to see since they funded it.
“It’s critically important that the report be made public,” Warren said an event in New Hampshire over the weekend, as reported by The Hill. “The American taxpayer paid for it and they ought to get to see it.”
Warren also has a petition on her website calling for the release of the documents.
The Justice Department on Sunday released a summary of the report, which found no evidence that Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential election. A definitive conclusion was not reached about whether the president obstructed justice.
Trump referred to the announcement as “total exoneration.”
The investigation began nearly two years ago when Robert Mueller was appointed as special counsel (on May 17, 2017) to investigate a possible link between the Trump campaign and Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election.
The report was delivered to Attorney General William Barr on Friday.
Here’s a look at the investigation, by the numbers:
Cost
Between May 17, 2017 and Sept. 30, 2018, Mueller’s office spent $12,287,852, according to Time Magazine. Included in that figure is $7.3 million for salaries and benefits, $1.3 million for travel and $2.2 for rent and utilities.
When $12.9 worth of indirect spending is taken into account, the total for that same time period rises to $25.2 million. These indirect expenses, however, are not considered additional taxpayer burdens.
Between April 1 and Sept. 30 alone, Mueller’s office spent $43,334 on supplies and materials, $15,618 on printing and $779 on the “transportation of things.”
Employment
Mueller employed 19 lawyers, who were assisted by a total of 40 FBI agents, intelligence analysts, forensic accountants, and other staff, according to the letter sent by the attorney general.
Documents
Throughout the course of the nearly two-year investigation, Mueller’s team issued more than 2,800 subpoenas and 500 search warrants. It also obtained more than 230 orders for communication records, made 13 requests to foreign governments for evidence and interviewed about 500 witnesses.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP
Indictments
Thirty-four people – including six former Trump advisers and associates – and three companies have either been indicted or pleaded guilty as a result of the probe.