The True Cost of Lawfare
Why the Next Administration Must Bring Accountability to the Destroyed Reputation of the Department of Justice.
How Much Did The DOJ’s Corrupt Lawfare Against Trump Really Cost?
Wednesday, February 26TH, 2025: By, Walter Curt.
Since 2015, federal and state authorities have relentlessly targeted Donald Trump, his family, his allies, and his supporters with a sustained campaign of lawfare. This weaponization of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and other government institutions has consumed staggering sums of taxpayer money, enlisted armies of government personnel, and inflicted untold damage on the national psyche. These corrupt prosecutions and investigations demand a forceful reckoning.
When the new Trump administration takes office, it has no choice but to pursue full accountability. Failure to do so guarantees the permanent erosion of trust in American institutions. The facts are indisputable: individuals in the DOJ and state offices have abused their powers to harass and prosecute political adversaries, and the perpetrators of this corruption must be held to the highest standard of criminal liability.
The Relentless Legal Onslaught: A Timeline of Abuse
From the moment Donald Trump announced his candidacy in 2015, entrenched bureaucrats and partisan actors seized upon every available channel to investigate, smear, and prosecute him. During Trump’s first term, these efforts included the Russia-related probes known as Crossfire Hurricane and the Mueller investigation, the Horowitz Inspector General review, and multiple House Democratic-led inquiries. After Joe Biden assumed office, these prosecutions morphed into an unprecedented legal crusade that weaponized virtually every branch of government.
Costs and Personnel: Eye-Watering Figures
Recent research pegs the total cost to American taxpayers for all investigations and legal actions against Donald Trump, his allies, and his supporters from 2015 to early 2025 at $511 million. This includes:
$70 million spent during Trump’s first term (2017–2021), encompassing the Mueller probe, the initial FBI investigation known as Crossfire Hurricane, and House Democrats’ impeachment-related inquiries.
$441 million poured into subsequent pursuits under the Biden administration (2021–2025), driven by DOJ prosecutions related to January 6, state-level lawsuits in Democrat strongholds, and a special counsel probe into Trump’s handling of classified documents.
Approximately 863 government personnel have participated in this crusade at various points—an army of federal agents, prosecutors, inspectors, and legislative staff, alongside state attorneys general in places like New York, Georgia, and Michigan. An estimated 5 million personnel hours have been consumed, reflecting the obsessive scale of these efforts to entangle Trump in never-ending legal battles. Salary costs alone for this government workforce total an estimated $340 million, underscoring the grotesque scope of this operation.
Aggressive Prosecutions: Destroying Lives and Reputations
Five Key Individuals Targeted
Several high-profile figures stand out as prime targets of the DOJ’s blatantly politicized prosecution strategy:
Donald Trump: Indicted in two federal criminal cases—one alleging improper handling of classified documents and another claiming election interference. Both are baseless show trials designed to sideline Trump’s political future.
Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro: Convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with subpoenas from the January 6 committee, a partisan body formed solely to smear Trump and his allies.
Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira: Personal aides swept into a conspiracy to obstruct justice case linked to the classified documents saga, a transparent attempt to scare away anyone willing to serve in Trump’s orbit.
Subpoenas and Harassment
Beyond these headline prosecutions, numerous family members and associates have been hounded by subpoena after subpoena, often facing groundless allegations. At least 29 individuals connected to Trump—his adult children, senior advisors like Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, Michael Flynn, and others—were pulled into these investigations. The tactic is obvious: bury supporters, family members, and staffers under legal threats and costs until they either flip on Trump or collapse financially.
January 6th: The DOJ’s Blunt Instrument Against Political Dissent
The January 6 Capitol breach became a pretext for the government to mount the most sweeping criminal dragnet in modern history. Over 1,240 Trump supporters were arrested, with 710 prosecuted and sentenced. An astonishing 300 FBI agents and at least 100 DOJ lawyers devoted themselves to these cases. The total price tag for the January 6 arrests and prosecutions alone soared to $300 million. These trials showcased an unmistakable double standard: protestors associated with left-wing causes regularly receive leniency, but when it comes to conservative protesters, the DOJ operates with singular ferocity.
This two-tiered system of justice is nowhere more evident than in the savage pursuit of ordinary individuals who were merely present in Washington, D.C., on January 6. Many were charged with dubious offenses, intimidated into plea deals, and saddled with life-altering consequences, even if their involvement amounted to minor trespassing. Ninety elderly defendants over age 60 were among those arrested, revealing the breadth of the campaign to punish all perceived Trump supporters and instill fear in the rest of the population.
State-Level Assault: Coordinated Attacks from New York to Georgia
Prosecutors in deep-blue states and counties have joined the mob, using their offices to file additional lawsuits against Trump and his companies:
New York: Attorney General Letitia James pursued sweeping civil fraud allegations against the Trump Organization, while the Manhattan DA piggybacked with a criminal tax fraud case. Each action consumes millions of taxpayer dollars, driven by transparent political hostility.
Georgia: State prosecutors concocted claims of election interference, dragging Trump’s legal team into expensive litigation.
Michigan: Officials initiated cases against so-called “fake electors,” adding another punitive front to the anti-Trump crusade.
These actions combine to siphon at least $20 million from state coffers, all in service of partisan vendettas cloaked as legitimate prosecutions.
The House Weaponization Committee’s Findings: A Damning Portrait
Amid the torrent of lawfare, the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government spent two years investigating this deliberate targeting. The committee’s final 17,000-page report, released on December 20, 2024, exposes what it calls a “two-tiered system of government.” It conclusively shows that:
Federal agencies colluded with Big Tech to censor and suppress conservative viewpoints.
Whistleblowers faced retaliation for daring to speak out against DOJ misconduct.
Entire legal frameworks were twisted to punish Trump and his followers.
Government authorities selectively enforced laws to protect their preferred political class while hammering ideological foes.
This report cost around $9 million to produce, an investment that reveals the enormity of corruption within America’s most trusted institutions. The subcommittee’s work provides a blueprint for restoring constitutional order and punishing those who have weaponized the justice system.
The Moral Imperative: Restoring Trust Through Accountability
America stands at a crossroads. Over $511 million stolen from taxpayers, 863 government personnel engaged in politically driven investigations, thousands of hours wasted prosecuting individuals on flimsy charges, and an entire nation’s faith in its justice system shattered. The next Trump administration must bring accountability to every corner of this corrupt enterprise:
Prosecute the Prosecutors: Department heads, prosecutors, and agency officials who abused their power cannot be allowed to retire with pensions. Criminal charges must be filed against any official who knowingly directed or participated in unlawful targeting of political opponents.
Purge Partisan Bureaucrats: The administrative state is riddled with individuals who manipulated the law to serve partisan goals. Immediate removal and lifetime bans from federal service will send a clear message.
Dismantle Corrupt Structures: Congress must abolish or radically reform investigative bodies that provided cover for partisan harassment. The public deserves new safeguards ensuring legal actions remain impartial.
Compensate the Wronged: Trump allies, family members, and ordinary citizens bankrupted by endless subpoenas and legal battles deserve restitution. Their constitutional rights were trampled by a DOJ that brazenly overreached.
Reinstate Equal Justice: These prosecutions shattered the belief in blind justice. The new administration must restore a consistent standard, ending the practice of punishing conservatives while letting left-wing violence and corruption skate by.
Nothing less than a full-scale cleanup will suffice. The American people watched in horror as the justice system morphed into a political weapon, and they will not tolerate the continuation of this travesty. If the next administration shirks its duty to bring the perpetrators of lawfare to justice, the country will be forever defined by cynicism and despair. No one will believe in the fairness of institutions that failed so spectacularly to uphold the rule of law.
America’s Future Hinges on Justice
The relentless persecution of Donald Trump and his supporters stands as the most egregious abuse of prosecutorial power in modern American history. It cost hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, mobilized nearly a thousand government officials, and shattered the public’s faith in a system that is supposed to be impartial and just. The facts are incontrovertible: the DOJ and allied state agencies engaged in corrupt behavior. The time for accountability is now.
The Trump administration must confront this malfeasance head-on. It must file charges against corrupt officials, purge partisan actors, and restore the bedrock principle of equality under the law. Anything less guarantees the permanent loss of the people’s trust in the very institutions meant to protect their liberty. America cannot survive another round of weaponized prosecutions. True justice requires that the architects of this lawfare finally face the consequences of their actions. If this does not happen, the Republic is at grave risk of sliding into an era where power, not the Constitution, determines who stands above the law.
Key Citations Used in Research For This Report: