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- Trump spent the weeks following the election alleging mass electoral fraud.
- His attempts to reverse the results have reportedly cost taxpayers more than $ 519 million so far.
- More than $ 488 million was for Capitol Hill security, while an additional $ 30 million was for state costs.
- Visit Insider’s Business section for more stories.
Former President Donald Trump’s attempt to annul the 2020 election by propagating unsubstantiated allegations of massive electoral fraud cost taxpayers more than $ 519 million, according to a Washington Post analysis.
The Post tallied the cost based on reviews of local, state and federal expense records and interviews with government officials. The costs included legal fees, damage caused by the siege of the Capitol in January, military and security expenses, etc.
Shortly after the election was declared a victory for President Joe Biden, Trump falsely claimed there was mass electoral fraud, claiming, without evidence, that the election was stolen.
Trump and his Republican allies spent the weeks leading up to Biden’s inauguration filing dozens of lawsuits in swing states in an attempt to overturn results, delay certification, or reject votes. They failed to win any of them.
In total, states spent $ 2.2 million on legal challenges and the safety of election officials, the Post found.
Pennsylvania, for example, paid outside lawyers up to $ 480 an hour to fight Trump’s electoral fraud lawsuits.
At a “Save America” rally shortly before Congress began certifying the electoral vote on January 6, Trump told a crowd of supporters to march to Capitol Hill and continued to allege fraud massive election. He also falsely claimed that Congress and Vice President Mike Pence could “decertify” the election results and give him another term.
Shortly after his speech, supporters raped the U.S. Capitol and clashed with law enforcement. The riot resulted in the death of five people, including a police officer.
The House of Representatives impeached Trump for “inciting insurgency” for his role in the riot. The Senate will hold an impeachment trial next week.
The riot led to a demand for increased security around lawmakers and the Capitol ahead of the impeachment trial.
National Guard troops have been deployed to Washington, DC in the wake of the attack and some will remain there until mid-March. The Post reported that the cost is at least $ 480 million. Additionally, in the week of the attack, the DC Metropolitan Police spent $ 8.8 million to protect the Capitol.
The costs of repairing the Capitol to clean up damage from the attack, the cost for the US Park Police to clean up the National Mall, and the costs of additional staff, overtime and medical bills from the Capitol Police are also still unknown.
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Members of Congress are also now using their state-funded member representation allowances, which come from taxpayer dollars, to secure personal protection resources, from bulletproof vests to private security details and cameras. surveillance, the Post reported.
Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman offered last month to permanently maintain the fence that was put up around the Capitol building after the January 6 riot.
The move met with rejection from local officials, but if it were to be implemented, beyond the approval of the Capitol Police Council, the House and Senate would also have to approve the allocation of funds to fortify the building.
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So far, states have also spent $ 28 million on insurgency and inauguration-related security, the Post reported.
The costs included protecting their own state houses after the Capitol attack. For example, California state officials spent approximately $ 19 million to deploy National Guard and state soldiers to the State Capitol and other locations between January 14 and January 21. , the Post reported.
In Texas and North Carolina, taxpayers have paid for helicopters to monitor potential protests, and in cities like Lansing, Michigan and Olympia, Washington, they have paid for temporary fences and additional security details for lawmakers in the States that attended legislative sessions.
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