- Trump spent the weeks following the election in alleged mass electoral fraud.
- His attempts to reverse the results have reportedly cost taxpayers more than $ 519 million so far.
- More than $ 488 million was earmarked for Capitol security, while another $ 30 million was in state expenses.
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Former President Donald Trump’s attempt to reverse the 2020 election by propagating groundless claims of massive voter fraud has cost taxpayers more than $ 519 million, an analysis by The Washington Post found.
The Post counted the costs based on reviews of local, state, and federal expense records and interviews with government officials. The costs include legal costs, damage costs from the January siege of the Capitol, military and security expenses, and more.
Not long after the election was declared a victory for President Joe Biden, Trump falsely claimed there was massive electoral fraud and said, without any evidence, that the election had been stolen.
Trump and his Republican allies spent the weeks leading up to Biden’s inauguration filing dozens of lawsuits in swing states that sought to overturn the results, delay certification, or throw out votes. They have not won any.
In total, states have spent $ 2.2 million on legal challenges and security for election officials, the Post found.
Pennsylvania, for example, paid outside lawyers as much as $ 480 an hour to work against Trump’s electoral fraud.
At a “Save America” rally shortly before Congress began certifying the election vote on January 6, Trump told a crowd of supporters to march to the Capitol and continued to accuse massive voter fraud. He also falsely claimed that Congress and Vice President Mike Pence could “decertify” the election results and give him a new term.
Not long after his speech, supporters broke into the Capitol and collided with police. The riot resulted in the deaths of five people, including a police officer.
The House of Representatives accused Trump of “inciting insurgency” because of his role in the riot. Next week, the Senate will hold a lawsuit against impeachment.
The riot sparked a demand for greater security around lawmakers and the Capitol prior to the impeachment trial.
After the attack, National Guard troops were sent to Washington, DC, and some will remain there until mid-March. The Post reported that the cost for this is at least $ 480 million. In addition, the DC Metropolitan Police spent $ 8.8 million the week of the attack to protect the Capitol.
The cost of repairing the Capitol to clear up damage from the attack, the cost of the U.S. Park Police to clean up the National Mall, and the cost of additional personnel, overtime, and Capitol Police medical bills are also unknown. .
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Members of Congress also now use their government-funded member representatives, who come from taxpayers’ money, to secure personal protective equipment, from body armor to private security details and surveillance cameras, the Post reported.
Acting Chief of Capitol Police, Yogananda Pittman, proposed last month that the fence erected around the Capitol be permanently preserved after the January 6 riot.
The move met with setbacks from local officials, but if it were to be implemented, in addition to being approved by the Capitol Police Board, the House and Senate would also have to approve that funds be allocated to fortify the building.
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States have also spent $ 28 million so far on security related to the rebellion and inauguration, the Post reported.
The costs included protecting their own state houses after the attack on the Capitol. For example, state officials in California spent about $ 19 million deploying the National Guard and state forces to the Capitol and other locations between January 14 and January 21, the Post reported.
In Texas and North Carolina, taxpayers paid for helicopters to monitor potential protests, and in cities like Lansing, Michigan and Olympia, Washington, they paid for temporary fencing and additional security details for state legislators going to legislative sessions.