When Mike Johnston went to Washington in March to testify before Congress, it was ostensibly to defend — really, to deny — Denver’s status as a “sanctuary” city for illegal immigrants.

The taxpayers’ tab? $1 million and counting.

Johnston’s office inked a deal with the law firm Covington & Burling LLC, capped at $2 million through Jan. 31, 2026 — at a “discounted” rate of $1,000 per hour. The invoices tell the story: $250,000 in May, $300,000 in June, then another $250,000 in November and $250,000 more in December.

How many more invoices before Jan. 31? Will they conveniently add up to exactly $2 million?

Taxpayers have no idea what they’re paying for. Invoices obtained by The Denver Gazette list only one line entry: “legal services” related to the hearing. City spokesman Jon Ewing offered vague justifications about “extensive in-person preparations” and “months of thorough document review.”

Johnston’s office refused to provide itemized breakdowns of tasks, who lawyers billed which hours at what cost, or whether the city covered the firm’s travel and lodging.

Their excuse? “Attorney-client privileged information.”

Let’s recall why Johnston was summoned. The U.S. faced an acute immigration crisis. Sanctuary jurisdictions like Denver draw myriad illegal immigrants seeking hospitable refuge — incentivizing more illegal border crossings, especially when cities refuse to cooperate with ICE.

Meanwhile, deadly Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua made Denver its U.S. headquarters last year.

Johnston spent over $80 million to feed, shelter and provide medical care for roughly 40,000 Venezuelans. To cover costs, he slashed citizen services like parks, rec and DMV hours.

Who could forget when he threatened to meet immigration agents at Denver’s city limits, staring down jail time alongside a resistance of “50,000 Highland moms”?

The congressional hearing hardly justified hiring a law firm, let alone at a cost of seven figures. Johnston bobbed, weaved, split hairs and did verbal gymnastics as he was pressed with pointed questions.

Johnston was asked, does Denver shield illegal immigrants charged with additional crimes? Does Johnston’s police department cooperate with federal immigration agents? Should Colorado repeal its sanctuary laws?

Committee members couldn’t get straight answers. At one point, Johnston even said with a straight face that Denver had chosen “not to hate each other, but to help each other.”

Was it lawyers he had hired — or a PR spin team?

Johnston’s defense rang hollow. His office insisted he “did not ask to attend this hearing,” though they took it “extremely seriously and prepared accordingly.”

Really? The mayor accepted Congress’s invitation when he could have refused and been subpoenaed. That’s to his credit, perhaps — but he was a willing participant.

Even so, nobody asked Johnston to spend millions setting up his own personal legal teams.

And why couldn’t he have hired a local law firm in the first place — rather than a super-connected, Democratic, D.C. political player?

So, how is the money being spent? Is the mayor trying to hit the budget cap for his buddies? While the deal limits hourly attorney fees, money is fungible. Do Covington & Burling’s associates — who probably did the legwork — really bill $1,000?

What actual work was done? By which employee types? To what benefit? Does Johnston honestly expect the public to believe firm partners were deeply involved day-to-day?

The questions are all fair game when taxpayer money is squandered and details are hidden, but the message is clear: Trust us that $1,000 an hour is a steal.

Perhaps they’ll eventually claim the tab ran higher and the firm generously forgave the difference. Either way, Denver taxpayers are getting fleeced.