How Much Money Was Spent On President Clintons Impeachment

The claim: Impeachment cost $33 million

On Feb. thirteen, President Donald Trump became the first president in U.S. history to be impeached and acquitted by the Senate twice. Congress'due south unprecedented move to hear Trump'southward impeachment trial later on he'd left office drew sharp criticism from Republicans who called the action political and unconstitutional.

In the days surrounding the proceedings, many social media users criticized these impeachments as irresponsible government spending and pushed an unsupported and exaggerated cost tag to make their signal.

"How can an impeachment price $33 million when all involved are already salaried servants?" reads 1 Facebook post.

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"Boy, that 33 Million that was spent on the impeachment certain would help a bunch of minor businesses right now…" claims some other widely shared prototype.

The mail does not specify if it is referring to Trump's first or second impeachment. Regardless, estimates for the price of both impeachment proceedings put the price significantly lower than $33 one thousand thousand.

Posts making this claim have circulated on social media for weeks. USA TODAY found a Facebook user posted the claim on Jan. xxx, more than a calendar week before the second Senate trial began.

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Us TODAY reached out to several social media users who posted this unsupported claim for annotate.

"Our politicians weren't acting in the all-time interests of 'We the People' when they demanded an Impeachment, non once, simply twice," replied Tony Hawes Jr. "Nosotros should be able to send them the bill. Garnish their wages. Remove it from their depository financial institution accounts."

Trump was impeached twice

Democrats introduced manufactures of impeachment on Jan. 11, on the charges that Trump incited an insurrection when he sent an angry mob to the Capitol building on January. 6. The Business firm voted to impeach him on January. 13.

The Senate began Trump's impeachment trial on Feb. 9. Five days later, on Feb. 13, Senators voted 57-43 not guilty.

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In 2019, the House voted to impeach Trump on December. 18 on charges of "loftier crimes and misdemeanors" for requesting that Ukraine investigate his political opponents. On Jan. 21, 2020, the Senate began hearing the charges and acquitted Trump on Feb. v.

Unofficial estimates for the price of 2019 House impeachment are much lower

The Congressional Budget Office does non have an official estimate for the price of either impeachment proceeding.

Later on Trump's first impeachment, online misinformation exaggerating its cost led several reporters and think tanks to approximate the cost in the House. Here's what they found:

Yahoo! Finance reviewed similar false claims that Trump'south impeachment cost $xl 1000000 in January 2020. It reported that the proceeding cost taxpayers nothing because congressional salaries are paid regardless of what is on the calendar. Yahoo! Finance estimated that Congress members and their staff were paid about $11.5 million from their predetermined salaries for the 33 days they spent impeaching Trump. This full fabricated up merely 0.00026% of the federal budget.

Bourgeois think tank The Heritage Foundation put the price much lower at $iii.06 million for the salaries of House members, Business firm staffers and half dozen lawyers.

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Roll Call placed the cost of the House Impeachment enquiry at $i.83 million. Curl Call stressed that this toll was minimal compared to other congressional investigations, such as President Beak Clinton'south impeachment trial that cost nearly $80 million.

Skillful says impeachment proceedings price less than $33 meg

Although there are no estimates for the cost of Trump's second impeachment or either Senate trial, experts told PolitiFact they cost far less than $33 million.

"It's hard to pinpoint exactly how much the impeachment cost," Steve Ellis, president of the nonprofit Taxpayers for Common Sense, told PolitiFact. "Merely I sincerely doubt it was anywhere shut to $33 million."

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Trump'southward first impeachment investigation was headed by the House Judiciary Committee, so it didn't cost taxpayers boosted money considering all funds came from the existing congressional budget. The second impeachment proceeding was much shorter than the first and did non include an investigation, indicating it was probable much cheaper than the first.

USA TODAY could detect no reputable estimates that put the price anywhere about $33 million.

Cost of Mueller written report

Special Counsel Robert Mueller'due south investigation on Russian interference in the 2016 election totaled $32 million. This included salaries and expenses for prosecutors, analysts and agents.

Mueller completed his report on March 22, 2019, without reaching a final conclusion on whether Trump had committed a criminal offense and illegally worked with Russian federation to sway the 2016 ballot. The report and its expenses were unrelated to either impeachment proceeding.

It is possible this effigy has been conflated with the toll of impeachments.

Our rating: False

There are no official estimates for the cost of either of Trump's impeachments, however, unofficial estimates of the cost of the beginning impeachment'southward Business firm proceedings and experts point it probable cost much less than $33 one thousand thousand. Congressional salaries are paid regardless of what is on the agenda. We rate the claim that Trump'south impeachment toll $33 1000000 FALSE considering there is no bear witness to support that estimate.

Our fact bank check sources:

• USA TODAY, Feb. 13, "Senate acquits Trump in celebrated second impeachment trial over Capitol riot"
• The states TODAY, Feb. 9, "Impeachment: Republicans say ex-President Trump tin't exist tried but many experts disagree"
• United states of america TODAY, Feb. 9, "Top takeaways from Twenty-four hour period 1 of quondam President Donald Trump'southward impeachment trial"
• USA TODAY, Jan. 11, "Democrats officially innovate impeachment article; Republicans block 25th Amendment resolution"
• The states TODAY, Jan. 13, "5 takeaways as the House impeaches Trump for second time"
• United states TODAY, December. eighteen, 2019, "Firm impeaches Donald Trump in historic vote, reshuffling U.S. politics on eve of 2020"
• USA TODAY, Feb. 5, "President Trump acquitted on both impeachment charges, avoids removal"
• Yahoo! Finance, January. 3, 2020, "This Is How Much of Your Taxes Were Spent On Impeachment Last Year"
• Fox Business, February. thirteen, "How much will Trump impeachment trial cost?"
• Roll Call, Jan. 31, 2020, "Toll: How much is impeachment?"
• PolitFact, Feb. 19, "Trump's second impeachment did not cost $33 meg"
• Yahoo! Finance, December. 20, 2019, "Trump'south impeachment has been cheaper than Clinton'due south"
• United states of america TODAY, Aug. 2, 2019, "The final bill for one-time special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia inquiry: $31. seven one thousand thousand"
• U.s.a. TODAY, Mar. 22, 2019, "Special counsel Robert Mueller delivers study marking finish of investigation into Trump's entrada, Russia"
  

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Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/03/05/fact-check-total-trump-impeachment-cost-unknown/4496974001/

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