House Republicans move to monitor Mueller's spending

The House wants to keep Special Counsel Robert Mueller's spending in check.

Lawmakers on Friday approved a spending measure that would require closer financial oversight of the investigation led by Mueller, The Hill reports.

The House of Representatives voted, largely along party lines, to move forward with an amendment introduced by Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), who says that the investigation needs closer financial scrutiny. The measure, if approved for inclusion in 2019's spending package, would task the Government Accountability Office with semi-annual financial audits for any special counsel investigation.

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"A special counsel's work is important, but they should not be able to spend taxpayer dollars without accountability. Americans need to know where their money is going," said Meadows, the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus. The Hill reports that Meadows has called for a second special counsel to look into alleged misconduct in the Department of Justice.

Even though the measure was approved by the House, there is little support for such a provision in the Senate, reports The Hill. Lawmakers have largely expressed support for the $16.7 million investigation, which is probing whether President Trump's campaign colluded with Russian interference in the 2016 election.