Cost of Fitzgerald investigation?

[NewJeffCT]

I've seen way different estimates, from as low as $700,000 to as high as $70,000,000 (obviously a Republican said that one!!)

Any facts on this issue?

[applegrove]

1. 70,000,000 was the Whitewater Investigation.

[Kagemusha]

2. $700,000 and change for the first 15 months.

Obviously it just ended at 24 months (18 + 6 month extension).

Ridiculously cheap.

[CanOfWhoopAss]

3. May be if they spent 70 mil we'd have impeachment hearings. nt

[leftchick]

4. I heard $230,000 last night

I can not recall what show it was but what a bargain!

[Rainscents]

6. I heard that on AAR news yesterday.

[wryter2000]

5. Heard on AAR yesterday

$723,000. I didn't hear what their source was, though.

Some freeper asked Sam Seder why we wasted millions of dollars for that, and Sam answered, "I guess you must be really upset about how much money Ken Starr spent, then." Then, he told the guy how much this investigation really cost.

[unrepuke]

7. $237,000 Sam Seder (sp) on AAR last night

I've heard 40 mil to 60 mil on the Clinton BJ

[lutefisk]

10. Well, that would equal about 2 minutes of Iraq War costs n/t

n/t

[lutefisk]

8. $700,000 = about five and a half minutes of the cost of Iraq War

And that's not even considering the "war premium" on the price of oil.

http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=171440

[William769]

9. I heard on Bill Mahr last night

About $750,000.

[lebkuchen]

11. Iraq alone costs $1 billion per day

It's a little late for the GOP to start feigning fiscal conservativeness.

[NewJeffCT]

12. and those Bush tax cuts for millionaires...

have cost the government maybe $1 billion/day as well.

[wryter2000]

14. delete

If I'm not sure about something, I shouldn't talk about it. :) :hi:

[onenote]

13. a whole lot less than 2015 American soldiers lives

plus tens of thousands of Iraqis.

onenote

[ClassWarrior]

15. And that cost falls squarely on the Administration**'s heads...

...because all that's been spent so far has been wasted untangling all of their criminal lies.

NGU.

[Coexist]

16. From Kos:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/10/24/114717/78
<snip>
A comparison worth considering. To date Fitzgerald has spent:


In its first 15 months, the investigation cost $723,000, according to the Government Accountability Office.

In his "investigation," Ken Starr spent:


The figures show that Starr's office, through the end of November 1998, had spent $40,835,000. That includes $27,749,000 in direct expenses from independent counsel appropriations and $13,086,000 in unreimbursed expenses incurred by other government agencies.

Those figures do not include costs incurred by Starr's predecessor, Robert Fiske, whose office spent about $6 million before Starr was appointed to lead the investigation.

The GAO's most recent report issued last September showed Starr had spent $33.5 million through March 31st, 1998, after taking over for Fiske in 1994.


So, to be charitable to Starr, he spent about $10 million a year while, again to be charitable to Starr (counting 15 months as a year), Fitzgerald spent $700,000 a year.