JANUARY 18, 2023 — SANTA MONICA, CALIF. — The most complete list of every special counsel investigation since the presidency of Richard Nixon is available at amarkfoundation.org. Journalists and media outlets may repost the information in full or part with attribution.
The list details the subject of the investigation, its duration and its cost. For example, the Nixon Watergate investigation ran from May 19, 1973 to June 20, 1977, for a total of 1,464 days, and cost taxpayers $57,256,277, or $39,109 per day, in 2023 dollars. The special counsel investigation into alleged ties between Russian officials and President Donald Trump lasted 675 days and cost about $36,801,052, or $54,520 per day, in 2023 dollars.
Every presidential administration since Nixon has been the subject of a special counsel investigation, except Barack Obama’s. Special counsels are currently investigating both President Joe Biden and Trump for the possible mishandling of classied documents.
A-Mark Foundation’s report on Special Counsel Investigations was cited and linked to in a Jan. 14 CNN story, “Two words no president wants to hear,” which was reposted by MSN and all news outlets that syndicate CNN. The Washington Post has a list of special counsel investigations that cites the A-Mark study as its primary source.
For 25 years, the nonpartisan Santa Monica-based A-Mark Foundation has invested in research and fact-based solutions to pressing social issues. Its materials are constantly updated and available to the public for free at amarkfoundation.org.