The House has approved a proposal that would require special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigation of Russian election meddling to be audited regularly.
The amendment, introduced by Rep. Mark Meadows, North Carolina Republican, requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to perform a semiannual audit of special counsels and was approved by lawmakers Friday morning in a 207-201 vote.
“A special counsel’s work is important, but they should not be able to spend taxpayer dollars without accountability,” Mr. Meadows said. “Americans need to know where their money is going.”
The language for the audit — which “reestablishes a semiannual Government Accountability Office financial review of obligated expenditures” of Mr. Mueller’s office — was attached to a construction spending bill.
The proposal would also allow lawmakers access to the audits by requiring the GAO to make them available to certain House committees, including the Government Oversight and Judiciary panels.
Earlier this month, the Justice Department announced the probe, now in its 13th month, had thus far cost about $16.7 million. DOJ officials have reportedly budgeted $10 million for the investigation to spend next fiscal year, which starts in October.
Republican lawmakers have long argued that Mr. Mueller is investigating beyond the parameters that were established when Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein approved the investigation in May 2017.
Mr. Meadows, chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, has been a vocal proponent of greater oversight of the probe and has also pushed for a second special counsel to probe alleged surveillance abuses by the Justice Department during its investigation of the 2016 Trump campaign.
• Dan Boylan can be reached at dboylan@washingtontimes.com.
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