Meter Still Running

From the Houston Chronicle:

Meter still running on Cisneros investigation
Five years after former Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about payments to his mistress, the meter is still running on the independent counsel investigation.

Taxpayers were billed $839,085 for the six months ending Sept. 30, 2003, by attorney David Barrett, the independent counsel named to head the inquiry that began in 1995. Although Cisneros entered his plea in 1999 and agreed to pay a $10,000 fine, Barrett's office is still open and has not set a date for closing.

Barrett is finishing a final report on the case as required by law, an official said.

A recent report by the General Accounting Office found that, so far, Barrett's investigation of the former San Antonio mayor has cost $20,509,928, plus whatever has been spent over the past six months.

An even more expensive investigation -- one headed by Kenneth Starr into allegations against former President Clinton -- officially closed last month.

Attorney Julie Thomas, who replaced Robert Ray who replaced Starr, pulled the plug officially on March 19, ending more than a decade of federal investigation of Clinton.

The cost of that investigation, which led to Clinton's impeachment and eventual acquittal by the Senate, cost $72,768,285 through the end of September, according to the GAO.