Report: Special counsel probe has funds to continue through September

Make sure to let us know what you think... we now have comments turned ON below the article!

There has been quite a bit of speculation in recent weeks that the Robert Mueller-led special counsel investigation is on the verge of wrapping up and that a final summary report may be submitted within the next few days or weeks.

Those rumors were tempered somewhat by a report from Reuters on Monday, however, as it was revealed that Mueller’s probe has funding to continue operations through the end of the fiscal year in September, if need be.

Special counsel funded through end of fiscal year

The question of funding for Mueller’s team arose after it was noticed that there was no mention of the investigation in the Justice Department’s portion of the proposed 2020 budget put forward by President Donald Trump’s White House on Monday.

As it turns out, funding for the special counsel investigation is derived from specific regulations issued by the U.S. Treasury Department, according to three unnamed U.S. officials cited by the media outlet.

“The Special Counsel is funded by the Independent Counsel appropriation, a permanent indefinite appropriation established in the Department’s 1988 Appropriations Act,” explained an unnamed Justice Department spokesperson.

Request for further funding by June

Soon after Attorney General William Barr began settling into his new role, rumors increasingly started circulating that Mueller was nearly finished with the probe into alleged Russian interference and collusion with the Trump campaign in the 2016 election.

That investigation began in May 2017, and while it has drawn significant support from many members of Congress — specifically Democrats and some establishment Republicans — it has also been the subject of intense criticism from some Republicans in Congress, and especially from the Trump White House, which regularly refers to the probe as a “witch hunt.”

According to Justice Department documentation, the Mueller investigation cost taxpayers approximately $9 million during the fiscal year of 2018, which ran from Oct. 2017 through the end of Sept. 2018. The total cost to taxpayers since the end of that period remains unclear.

Were the special counsel investigation to continue on past the end of the current fiscal year in Sept. 2019, Mueller would need to file a request for more funding by the end of June, as requests must be filed no later than 90 days prior to the start of a new fiscal year.

End may or may not be near

Reuters noted that, despite all of the rumors swirling about the impending conclusion of the Mueller investigation, none of the Congressional committees that are also investigating President Trump or related matters have claimed or acknowledged receipt of any sort of guidance from Mueller as to his progress or intentions going forward.

This report about the special counsel investigation having the necessary funding to continue operating through the end of this fiscal year could be an indication that the investigation isn’t as close to a conclusion as some have surmised.

That said, given the manner in which the government typically funds various programs through the course of each fiscal year, the fact that Mueller has funding for several more months could simply be a precautionary measure that has no real bearing on when his work will ultimately be complete.

1,645 Responses

  1. Woah! I’m really enjoying the template/motif of this blog. It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of moments it’s challenging to get that best balance between fantastic usability and overall look. I must declare that you’ve done a incredibly good task with this. In addition, the blog loads really easy for me on Opera. Superb Blog!

  2. Hmm is anyone else encountering problems with the images on this blog loading? I’m trying to figure out if its a problem on my end or if it’s the blog. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.|

  3. Hi, Neat post. There is a problem together with your site in internet explorer, might test this? IE still is the marketplace chief and a large element of people will omit your wonderful writing because of this problem.|

  4. I would like to thank you for the efforts you have put in penning this blog. I’m hoping to see the same high-grade blog posts from you later on as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my very own blog now ;)|

  5. You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this topic to be really something that I think I would never understand. It seems too complicated and very broad for me. I’m looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!

  6. Fantastic goods from you, man. I have understand your stuff previous to and you’re just too magnificent. I actually like what you have acquired here, certainly like what you are stating and the way in which you say it. You make it enjoyable and you still take care of to keep it wise. I can not wait to read much more from you. This is really a terrific site.|

  7. certainly like your web-site but you have to take a look at the spelling on quite a few of your posts. A number of them are rife with spelling problems and I find it very bothersome to inform the reality on the other hand I’ll definitely come again again.|

  8. Wonderful blog! I found it while searching on Yahoo News. Do you have any tips on how to get listed in Yahoo News? I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Thanks|

  9. Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have truly enjoyed surfing around your blog posts. After all I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon!

  10. Hi, I do believe this is an excellent web site. I stumbledupon it 😉 I will come back once again since i have book marked it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide other people.

  11. Magnificent beat ! I wish to apprentice even as you amend your website, how could i subscribe for a weblog website? The account helped me a acceptable deal. I were tiny bit acquainted of this your broadcast provided bright transparent concept

  12. Hmm it looks like your website ate my first comment (it was extremely long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I had written and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I too am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still new to everything. Do you have any suggestions for rookie blog writers? I’d certainly appreciate it.

  13. Excellent post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am impressed! Extremely helpful info specially the last part 🙂 I care for such info much. I was looking for this certain information for a long time. Thank you and good luck.|

  14. First of all I want to say fantastic blog! I had a quick question which I’d like to ask if you don’t mind. I was curious to find out how you center yourself and clear your head prior to writing. I’ve had a difficult time clearing my thoughts in getting my thoughts out. I do take pleasure in writing but it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are lost just trying to figure out how to begin. Any ideas or hints? Thank you!|

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Popular