View source for Department of Justice Office of Special Counsel

{{Short description|Former US government office}}
{{For|other United States offices of special counsel|U.S. Office of Special Counsel (disambiguation)}}
{{Distinguish|United States Office of Special Counsel}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2019}}{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{confusing|date=August 2018}}
The '''Office of Special Counsel''' was an office of the [[United States Department of Justice]] established by provisions in the [[Ethics in Government Act]] that expired in 1999. The provisions were replaced by Department of Justice regulation [[Title 28 of the Code of Federal Regulations|28 CFR]] Part 600,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/28/part-600|title=28 CFR Part 600 – General Powers of Special Counsel|website=LII / Legal Information Institute}}</ref> which created the successor office of [[special prosecutor|special counsel]]. The current regulations were drafted by former acting solicitor general [[Neal Katyal]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/could-trump-remove-special-counsel-robert-mueller-lessons-watergate|title=Could Trump Remove Special Counsel Robert Mueller? Lessons from Watergate|date=2017-05-23|work=Lawfare|access-date=2018-01-03|language=en}}</ref>

The '''independent counsel''' was an independent [[prosecutor]]—distinct from the [[United States Attorney General|attorney general]] of the [[United States Department of Justice]]—who provided reports to the [[United States Congress]] under {{usc|28|595}}.

==History==
In 1978, a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]-majority Congress was determined to curb the powers of the [[president of the United States|president]] and other senior executive branch officials due in part to the [[Watergate scandal]] and related events such as the [[Saturday Night Massacre]]. They drafted and passed the [[Ethics in Government Act]] of 1978, creating a special prosecutor (later changed to independent counsel) position, which could be used by Congress or the attorney general to investigate individuals holding or formerly holding certain high positions in the federal government and in national presidential election campaign organizations.
[[Image:Oiclogo.jpg|right|150px]]

The prosecutor, who was appointed by a special panel of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit]], could investigate allegations of any misconduct, with an unlimited budget and no deadline, and could be dismissed only by the [[United States Attorney General|attorney general]] for "good cause" or by the special panel of the court when the independent counsel's task was completed. The president could not dismiss those investigating the executive branch. It was felt that the independence of the office would ensure impartiality of any reports presented to Congress. However, there have been critics of this law including [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] Justice [[Antonin Scalia]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Linda |last=Greenhouse |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/01/opinion/the-president-the-prosecutor-and-the-wheel-of-fortune.html |title=The President, the Prosecutor, and the Wheel of Fortune |date=1 September 2016 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] }}</ref> Many{{who|date=October 2018}} argued the new independent counsel's office was a sort of "fourth branch" of government that had virtually unlimited powers and was answerable to no one. However, the constitutionality of the new office was ultimately upheld in the 1988 Supreme Court case ''[[Morrison v. Olson]]''.

Previously under the Independent Counsel Reauthorization Act of 1994, United States Attorney General [[Janet Reno]] had [[Donald Smaltz]] appointed Independent Counsel by the [[United States Court of Appeals]] for the District of Columbia (Division for the Purpose of Appointing Independent Counsels Ethics in Government Act of 1978, As Amended, Division 94-2) on September 9, 1994, to "investigate to the maximum extent authorized by [[law]]" whether the [[United States Department of Agriculture|US Department of Agriculture]] Secretary [[Mike Espy]] "committed a violation of any federal criminal law . . . relating in any way to the acceptance of gifts by him from organizations or individuals with business pending before the Department of Agriculture." Smaltz was also given jurisdiction to investigate "other allegations or evidence of violations of any federal criminal law by organizations or individuals developed during the course of the investigation of Secretary Espy and connected with or arising out of that investigation."

The most famous independent counsel was [[Kenneth Starr]], whose report led to the [[impeachment]] of President [[Bill Clinton]] by the [[United States House of Representatives]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/20/us/impeachment-overview-clinton-impeached-he-faces-senate-trial-2d-history-vows-job.html|title=Impeachment: The Overview – Clinton Impeached; He Faces a Senate Trial, 2d in History; Vows to Do Job Till Term's 'last Hour'|first=Alison|last=Mitchell|date=20 December 1998|work=The New York Times}}</ref> though he was later acquitted by the [[United States Senate]].

Three independent counsel investigations had jurisdictions that were specified in regulations: the [[Iran–Contra affair|Iran–Contra]] investigation in 1987 (28 [[Code of Federal Regulations]] sec. 601.1); [[Edwin Meese III]], the [[Wedtech scandal|Wedtech]] case in 1987 (sec. 602.1), and President Bill and First Lady Hillary Clinton in the [[Madison Guaranty]]/[[Whitewater controversy|Whitewater]] case in 1994 (sec. 603.1).

After the expiration of the [[Ethics in Government Act]] in 1999, the Office of Independent Counsel was replaced with the Office of [[Special Counsel]], defined by regulation 28 CFR 600, which in turn is based on congressional statute 28 USC 510.

[[Patrick Fitzgerald]] was appointed Special Counsel in 2003 regarding the investigation into the public naming of CIA spy [[Valerie Plame]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.justice.gov/usao/iln/osc/ |title=USDOJ: Office of Special Counsel |date=13 February 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070213192306/http://www.justice.gov/usao/iln/osc/ |archive-date=13 February 2007 }}</ref> His appointment was based on 28 USC 510.

Under 28 CFR 600,<ref>{{cite web |title=APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL COUNSEL TO INVESTIGATE RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE WITH THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AND RELATED MATTERS |url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/967231/download |website=The United States Department of Justice |access-date=November 8, 2018 |archive-date=May 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520221005/https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/967231/download |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Robert Mueller]] was appointed Special Counsel in 2017 [[Mueller special counsel investigation|to investigate possible interference by the Russian government]] in the [[2016 United States presidential election|2016 presidential election]], including a possible [[criminal conspiracy]] between Russia and the [[Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign|presidential campaign of Donald Trump]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/17/us/politics/robert-mueller-special-counsel-russia-investigation.html|title=Robert Mueller, Former F.B.I. Director, Is Named Special Counsel for Russia Investigation|first1=Rebecca R.|last1=Ruiz|first2=Mark|last2=Landler|date=17 May 2017|work=The New York Times}}</ref> The investigation was officially concluded on March 22, 2019. The report concluded that the Russian [[Internet Research Agency]]'s [[social media]] campaign supported Trump's presidential candidacy while attacking Clinton's, and Russian intelligence [[Computer hacking|hacked]] and released damaging material from the [[Hillary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign|Clinton campaign]] and various Democratic Party organizations.<ref name="InterceptAnnotate">{{cite web |last1=Mackey |first1=Robert |last2=Risen |first2=James |last3=Aaronson |first3=Trevor |title=Annotating special counsel Robert Mueller's redacted report |url=https://theintercept.com/2019/04/18/annotating-special-counsel-robert-muellers-redacted-report/ |work=[[The Intercept]] |date=April 18, 2019 |access-date=April 23, 2019}}</ref> The investigation "identified numerous links between the Russian government and the Trump campaign", and determined that the Trump campaign "expected it would benefit electorally" from Russian hacking efforts. However, ultimately "the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities".<ref name="GlobeGraphic">{{cite web |last1=Ostriker |first1=Rebecca |last2=Puzzanghera |first2=Jim |last3=Finucane |first3=Martin |last4=Datar |first4=Saurabh |last5=Uraizee |first5=Irfan |last6=Garvin |first6=Patrick |title=What the Mueller report says about Trump and more |url=https://apps.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/graphics/2019/03/mueller-report/ |website=[[The Boston Globe]] |access-date=April 22, 2019}}</ref><ref name="TIMErelease">{{cite magazine |last=Law |first=Tara |title=Here Are the Biggest Takeaways From the Mueller Report |url=https://time.com/5567077/mueller-report-release/ |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=April 22, 2019}}</ref><ref>''[https://www.justice.gov/storage/report.pdf Mueller Report]'', vol. II, p.2: Fourth, if we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit [[obstruction of justice]], we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, however, we are unable to reach that judgment. The evidence we obtained about the President's actions and intent presents difficult issues that prevent us from conclusively determining that no criminal conduct occurred. Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.</ref> Mueller later said that the investigation's conclusion on Russian interference "deserves the attention of every American".<ref name=nytimesmay29>{{cite web |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/29/us/politics/mueller-special-counsel.html |title= Mueller, in First Comments on Russia Inquiry, Declines to Clear Trump |first1= Sharon |last1= LaFraniere |first2= Eileen |last2= Sullivan |date= May 29, 2019 |website=[[The New York Times]] }}</ref>

In 2019 Attorney General [[William P. Barr|William Barr]] appointed a federal prosecutor, [[John Durham (lawyer)|John Durham]], to counter-investigate the origins of the FBI's [[Crossfire Hurricane (FBI investigation)|Crossfire Hurricane]] probe.<ref>{{cite web |last=Johnson |first=Kevin |title=Attorney General taps top Connecticut federal prosecutor for review of Trump-Russia inquiry |url= https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/05/13/attorney-general-barr-john-durham-us-attorney-connecticut-review-trump-russia-investigation-origin/1195462001/ |website=USA TODAY |date=May 14, 2019|access-date=May 17, 2019}}</ref> On December 1, 2020, the Associated Press reported that Barr had appointed Durham as a special counsel under the federal statute governing such appointments to conduct an investigation into "…the investigation of Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III," by which was meant the FBI personnel who worked on Crossfire Hurricane before joining the Mueller team.<ref>{{cite web|first1=Michael|last1=Balsamo|first2=Eric|last2=Tucker|title="Barr Appoints Special Counsel in Russia Probe Investigation"|date=December 1, 2020|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2020-12-01/barr-appoints-special-counsel-in-russia-probe-investigation}}</ref>

==Timeline==
* Originally created by the [[Ethics in Government Act]] of 1978 and the Ethics in Government Act Amendments of 1982 (96 Stat. 2039), January 3, 1983
* Reauthorized for five years by the Independent Counsel Reauthorization Act of 1987 (101 Stat. 1293), December 15, 1987
* Lapsed, December 15, 1992, by failure of reauthorization
* Reinstituted by the Independent Counsel Reauthorization Act of 1994 (PL 103-270), June 30, 1994
* Converted into the Office of the Special Counsel end of 1999.

==Investigations carried out by independent counsel==
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!colspan=2 |Name
!Start
!End
!Topic
!colspan=2 |Appointer
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|John|Henderson|John B. Henderson}}
|{{dts|June 1, 1875}}<ref name="UNT">{{Cite web |title=OIC Smaltz: Speeches and Articles: Georgetown Law Journal: A View From Inside |url=https://govinfo.library.unt.edu/oic/SMALTZ/speeches/GTLJ.htm |access-date=2023-11-24 |website=govinfo.library.unt.edu}}</ref>
|{{dts|December 10, 1875}}
|rowspan=2 |[[Whiskey Ring]]
|rowspan=2 style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|rowspan=2 |{{sortname|Ulysses|Grant|Ulysses S. Grant}}<br />{{small|(President)}}
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|James|Broadhead}}
|{{dts|January 1876}}<ref name="Amark Foundation">{{Cite web | url=https://amarkfoundation.org/special-investigations-presidents/ | title=Special Investigations Involving US Presidents and Their Administrations Since 1973 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004034814/https://amarkfoundation.org/special-investigations-presidents/ | archive-date=2023-10-04 | date=2023-05-18}}</ref>
|{{dts|March 1876}}
|-
|
|{{sortname|William|Cook|dab=lawyer}}
|{{dts|June 1881}}<ref name="UNT"/>
|{{dts|September 1882}}
|[[Star Route scandal]]
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|James|Garfield|James A. Garfield}}<br />{{small|(President)}}
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Holmes|Conrad}}
|rowspan=2 |{{dts|June 1903}}<ref name="UNT"/>
|rowspan=2 |{{dts|June 1904}}
|rowspan=2 |Bribery at the [[United States Post Office Department]]
|rowspan=2 style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|rowspan=2 |{{sortname|Teddy|Roosevelt|Theodore Roosevelt}}<br />{{small|(President)}}
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Charles|Bonaparte|Charles Joseph Bonaparte}}
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Francis|Heney|Francis J. Heney}}
|{{dts|October 1903}}<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3634224 |jstor=3634224 |last=O'Callaghan |first=Jerry A. |title=Senator Mitchell and the Oregon Land Frauds, 1905 |journal=[[Pacific Historical Review]] |date=August 1952 |accessdate=September 7, 2023 |volume=21 |issue=3 |pages=255–261 |doi=10.2307/3634224}}</ref>
|{{dts|January 1, 1905}}
|[[Oregon land fraud scandal]]
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Philander|Knox|Philander C. Knox}}<br />{{small|(Attorney General)}}
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Atlee|Pomerene}}<ref name="Teapot Dome">{{cite web | url=http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/history/johnson/teapotdome.htm#IIB | title=A summary of the Teapot Dome scandal from the Brookings Institution }}</ref>
|{{dts|February 16, 1924}}
|{{dts|June 1931}}
|rowspan=2 |[[Teapot Dome scandal]]
|rowspan=2 style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|rowspan=2 |{{sortname|Calvin|Coolidge}}<br />{{small|(President)}}
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Owen|Roberts}}<ref name="Teapot Dome"/>
|{{dts|February 18, 1924}}
|{{dts|June 2, 1930}}
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Newbold|Morris}}
|{{dts|February 1, 1952}}
|{{dts|April 3, 1952}}
|[[Newbold Morris#Special prosecutor|DOJ corruption allegations]]
|style="background: {{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}};" |
|{{nowrap|{{sortname|Howard|McGrath|J. Howard McGrath}}}}<br />{{small|(Attorney General)}}
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Archibald|Cox}}
|{{dts|May 18, 1973}}
|{{dts|October 20, 1973}}
|rowspan=4 |[[Watergate scandal]]
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Elliot|Richardson}}<br />{{small|(Attorney General)}}
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Leon|Jaworski}}
|{{dts|November 1, 1973}}
|{{dts|October 25, 1974}}
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Bob|Bork|Robert Bork}}<br />{{small|(Acting Attorney General)}}
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Hank|Ruth|Henry S. Ruth Jr.}}
|{{dts|October 25, 1974}}
|{{dts|October 17, 1975}}
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|William|Saxbe|William B. Saxbe}}<br />{{small|(Attorney General)}}
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Chuck|Ruff|Charles Ruff}}
|{{dts|October 17, 1975}}
|{{dts|June 20, 1977}}<ref name="Amark Foundation"/>
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Edward|Levi|Edward H. Levi}}<br />{{small|(Attorney General)}}
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Arthur|Christy}}
|{{dts|November 29, 1979}}<ref name="PBS Frontline">{{Cite web |title=The Office - Independent Counsel Investigations, 1978 To The Present {{!}} Secrets Of An Independent Counsel {{!}} FRONTLINE {{!}} PBS |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/counsel/office/chart.html |access-date=2023-11-24 |website=www.pbs.org}}</ref>
|{{dts|May 28, 1980}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jr |first=George Lardner |date=1980-05-29 |title=Grand Jury Clears Jordan |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/05/29/grand-jury-clears-jordan/e6af7391-4c5e-43a8-98b8-435935cf50d6/ |access-date=2023-11-24 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>
|Allegations of illegal drug use of [[Jimmy Carter]]'s aide [[Hamilton Jordan]]
|style="background: {{party color|Independent (United States)}};" |
|[[United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit|DC Circuit Court]]
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Paul|Curran|Paul J. Curran}}
|{{dts|March 23, 1979}}<ref name="Amark Foundation"/>
|{{dts|October 16, 1979}}<ref name="Amark Foundation"/>
|[[Bert Lance|Carter business loans]]
|style="background: {{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Griffin|Bell}}<br />{{small|(Attorney General)}}
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{nowrap|{{sortname|Gerald|Gallinghouse}}}}
|{{dts|September 9, 1980}}<ref name="PBS Frontline"/>
|{{dts|March 1981}}<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/82164NCJRS.pdf | title=A report prepared by the subcommittee on oversight of government management of the committee on governmental affairs United States Senate | date=October 1981 | website=www.ojp.gov}}</ref>
|Allegations of illegal drug use of [[Jimmy Carter]]'s aide [[Timothy Kraft]]
|rowspan=14 style="background: {{party color|Independent (United States)}};" |
|rowspan=14 |[[United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit|DC Circuit Court]]
|-
|
|{{sortname|Leon|Silverman}}
|{{dts|December 29, 1981}}<ref name="PBS Frontline"/>
|{{dts|September 13, 1982}}<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/09/14/nyregion/man-in-the-news-donnovan-inquiry-chief-leon-silverman.html | title=Man in the News; Donnovan Inquiry Chief Leon Silverman | work=The New York Times | date=September 14, 1982 | last1=Margolick | first1=David }}</ref>
|[[Raymond Donovan]]'s connections to organized crime
|-
|
|{{sortname|Jacob|Stein}}
|{{dts|April 2, 1984}}<ref name="PBS Frontline"/>
|{{dts|September 21, 1984}}<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/09/21/us/excerpts-from-report-of-independent-counsel-on-charges-against-meese.html | title=Excerpts from Report of Independent Counsel on Charges Against Meese | work=The New York Times | date=September 21, 1984 }}</ref>
|[[Ed Meese]] financial improprieties
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Independent (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Jim|McKay|James C. McKay}}
|{{dts|April 23, 1986}}<ref name="PBS Frontline"/>
|{{dts|May 29, 1986}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Thornton |first=Mary |date=1986-05-30 |title=Independent Counsel Quits to Avoid Conflict |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1986/05/30/independent-counsel-quits-to-avoid-conflict/80df1a70-2729-48fe-bb7b-0ccb3e9e6c80/ |access-date=2023-11-24 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>
|rowspan=2 |[[Ted Olson]] obstruction of Congress's [[Superfund]] investigation
|-
|
|{{sortname|Alexia|Morrison}}
|{{dts|May 29, 1986}}<ref name="PBS Frontline"/>
|{{dts|March 14, 1989}}
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Mike|Seymour|Whitney North Seymour Jr.}}
|{{dts|May 29, 1986}}<ref name="PBS Frontline"/>
|{{dts|August 6, 1989}}
|[[Michael Deaver]] conflict of interest and lobbying
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Lawrence|Walsh}}
|{{dts|December 19, 1986}}<ref name="PBS Frontline"/>
|{{dts|August 4, 1993}}
|[[Iran-Contra affair]]
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Carl|Rauh}}
|{{dts|December 19, 1986}}<ref name="PBS Frontline"/>
|{{dts|March 30, 1987}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Marcus |first=Ruth |date=1987-12-19 |title=JUSTICE OFFICIAL WON'T BE CHARGED IN TAX CASE |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1987/12/19/justice-official-wont-be-charged-in-tax-case/0af913be-a46b-4ca7-b436-033c7e666092/ |access-date=2023-11-24 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>
|rowspan=2 |[[W. Lawrence Wallace|Lawrence Wallace]]'s personal tax matters<ref name="Amark Foundation"/>
|-
|
|{{sortname|James|Harper|dab=lawyer}}
|{{dts|August 17, 1987}}<ref name="PBS Frontline"/>
|{{dts|December 18, 1987}}
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Independent (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Jim|McKay|James C. McKay}}
|{{dts|February 3, 1987}}<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/03/us/counsel-named-in-nofziger-ethics-case.html | title=Counsel Named in Nofziger Ethics Case | work=The New York Times | date=February 3, 1987 | last1=Werner | first1=Leslie Maitland }}</ref>
|{{dts|September 1988}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Counsel to the President, White House Office of: Investigations: Records, 1981-1989 |url=https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/white-house-inventory/counsel-president-white-house-office-investigations-records-1981 |access-date=2023-11-24 |website=Ronald Reagan |language=en}}</ref>
|[[Wedtech scandal]]
|-
|colspan=2 |''Unknown''
|{{dts|May 31, 1989}}<ref name="PBS Frontline"/>
|{{dts|August 23, 1989}}
|''Under seal''
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Arlin|Adams}}
|{{dts|March 1, 1990}}<ref name="PBS Frontline"/>
|{{dts|May 1995}}
|rowspan=2 |[[Samuel Pierce]]'s mismanagement and fraud of programs at the [[U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development]]
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Larry|Thompson}}
|{{dts|July 3, 1995}}<ref name="PBS Frontline"/>
|{{dts|October 27, 1998}}<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Adams |first1=Arlin M. |url=https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/4010317 |title=Final report of the independent counsel in re: Samuel R. Pierce |last2=Thompson |first2=Larry Dean |date=1998 |publisher=U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Division for the Purpose of Appointing Independent Counsels, Division No. 89-5 : For sale by the U.S. G.P.O., Supt. of Docs |others=United States |isbn=978-0-16-049796-4 |location=Washington, D.C}}</ref>
|-
|colspan=2 |''Unknown''
|{{dts|April 19, 1991}}<ref name="PBS Frontline"/>
|{{dts|July 15, 1992}}
|''Under seal''
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Nicholas|Bua|Nicholas John Bua}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/07/opinion/justice-in-the-inslaw-case.html |title=Justice in the Inslaw Case |date=1991-12-07 |access-date=2008-09-11 |work=The New York Times}}</ref>
|{{dts|November 14, 1991}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Another chance for justice in the Inslaw case |url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1991/11/15/another-chance-for-justice-in-the-inslaw-case/ |access-date=2023-11-24 |website=Tampa Bay Times |language=en}}</ref>
|{{dts|March 1993}}<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.governmentattic.org/9docs/DOJ-OIP-INSLAW_1993.pdf | title=Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General of the United States Regarding the Allegations of INSLAW, Inc. | website=www.governmentattic.org | date=2012-10-13}}</ref>
|[[Inslaw|Inslaw scandal]]
|rowspan=3 style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|rowspan=3 |{{sortname|Bill|Barr}}<br />{{small|(Attorney General)}}
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Malcolm|Wilkey|Malcolm Richard Wilkey}}<ref name="Ad hoc"/>
|{{dts|March 20, 1992}}<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Cooper |first1=Kenneth J. |last2=Priest |first2=Dana |date=1992-03-21 |title=EX-JUDGE TO HEAD HOUSE BANK PROBE |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1992/03/21/ex-judge-to-head-house-bank-probe/f965e9cf-614e-4aa4-abdd-6545a57e11ed/ |access-date=2023-11-24 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>
|{{dts|December 17, 1992}}<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/17/us/investigator-finds-evidence-of-crimes-in-house-bank-use.html | title=Investigator Finds Evidence of Crimes in House Bank Use | work=The New York Times | date=December 17, 1992 | last1=Johnston | first1=David }}</ref>
|[[House banking scandal]]
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Frederick|Lacey|Frederick Bernard Lacey}}<ref name="Ad hoc">{{Cite web | url=https://www.everycrsreport.com/files/20020415_RS21198_aa627e221ee3a6d030c591175cd5401f6b0957ff.pdf | title=Independent Counsel or Special Prosecutor For the Enron Investigation | first=Jack | last=Maskell | date=2002-04-15}}</ref>
|{{dts|October 16, 1992}}<ref name="Amark Foundation"/>
|{{dts|December 8, 1992}}<ref name="Amark Foundation"/>
|[[Iraqgate]]
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Joe|diGenova|Joseph diGenova}}
|{{dts|December 14, 1992}}<ref name="PBS Frontline"/>
|{{dts|January 11, 1996}}
|rowspan=2 |Improper search of [[Bill Clinton]]'s passport records by [[George H. W. Bush]] administration staff on behalf of his [[George H. W. Bush 1992 presidential campaign|1992 presidential reelection campaign]]
|rowspan=2 style="background: {{party color|Independent (United States)}};" |
|rowspan=2 |[[United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit|DC Circuit Court]]
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Michael|Zeldin}}
|{{dts|January 11, 1996}}<ref name="PBS Frontline"/>
|{{dts|August 12, 1998}}<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-106shrg56376/pdf/CHRG-106shrg56376.pdf | title=Hearings before the committee on governmental affairs United States Senate | website=www.govinfo.gov | publisher=[[106th Congress]] | date=1999-04-14}}</ref>
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Bob|Fiske|Robert B. Fiske}}
|{{dts|January 24, 1994}}<ref name="PBS Frontline"/>
|{{dts|August 5, 1994}}
|rowspan=4 |[[Suicide of Vince Foster]], the [[Whitewater scandal]], [[Travelgate]], [[Filegate]], and later the [[Clinton-Lewinsky scandal]]
|style="background: {{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Janet|Reno}}<br />{{small|(Attorney General)}}
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Ken|Starr}}
|{{dts|August 5, 1994}}<ref name="PBS Frontline"/>
|{{dts|September 11, 1998}}
|rowspan=9 style="background: {{party color|Independent (United States)}};" |
|rowspan=9 |[[United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit|DC Circuit Court]]
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Robert|Ray|dab=prosecutor}}
|{{dts|September 11, 1998}}<ref name="PBS Frontline"/>
|{{dts|March 13, 2002}}
|-
|
|{{sortname|Julie|Thomas|dab=prosecutor}}
|{{dts|March 13, 2002}}<ref name="PBS Frontline"/>
|{{dts|September 30, 2004}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Weisman |first=Jonathan |date=2005-04-01 |title=Cost of Cisneros Probe Nears $21 Million Over 10 Years |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2005/04/01/cost-of-cisneros-probe-nears-21-million-over-10-years/e8c92d08-446f-4f42-8948-04fed3eba271/ |access-date=2023-11-24 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Don|Smaltz|Donald Smaltz}}
|{{dts|September 9, 1994}}<ref name="PBS Frontline"/>
|{{dts|October 25, 2001}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=OIC Smaltz: Final Report |url=https://govinfo.library.unt.edu/oic/SMALTZ/FnlRpt.htm |access-date=2023-11-24 |website=govinfo.library.unt.edu}}</ref>
|Allegations of corrupt gratuity by [[Mike Espy]]
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|David|Barrett|dab=prosecutor}}
|{{dts|May 24, 1995}}<ref name="PBS Frontline"/>
|{{dts|January 19, 2006}}<ref>{{Cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701090144/http://barrett.oic.gov/finalreport/finalreport.pdf | url=http://barrett.oic.gov/finalreport/finalreport.pdf | archive-date=2007-07-01 | title=Final report of the independent counsel - In Re: Henry G. Cisneros}}</ref>
|[[Henry Cisneros payments controversy]]
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Daniel|Pearson|dab=attorney}}
|{{dts|July 6, 1995}}<ref name="PBS Frontline"/>
|{{dts|November 14, 1996}}
|[[Commerce Department trade mission controversy]]
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Curtis|von Kann}}
|{{dts|November 27, 1996}}<ref name="PBS Frontline"/>
|{{dts|December 19, 1997}}
|[[Eli Segal]]'s conflicts of interest
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Carol|Elder Bruce}}
|{{dts|March 19, 1998}}<ref name="PBS Frontline"/>
|{{dts|August 22, 2000}}<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://catalog.library.vanderbilt.edu/discovery/fulldisplay/alma991003095549703276/01VAN_INST:vanui | title=Final report of independent counsel in re: Bruce Edward Babbitt / Carol Elder Bruce | website=catalog.library.vanderbilt.edu}}</ref>
|[[Bruce Babbitt]] and allegations of public corruption surrounding the Department of Interior's denial of a casino contract to an Indian Nation and the truth or falsity of testimony to a Senate Committee concerning the official conduct
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Ralph|Lancaster|dab=lawyer}}
|{{dts|May 26, 1998}}<ref name="PBS Frontline"/>
|{{dts|April 5, 2000}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Vise |first=David A. |date=2000-04-06 |title=Labor Secretary Cleared |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2000/04/06/labor-secretary-cleared/995378ba-2a46-4310-b07b-1b8d23805c29/ |access-date=2023-11-24 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>
|Charges of influence-peddling and the solicitation of illegal campaign contributions against [[Alexis Herman]]
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|John|Danforth}}
|{{dts|September 9, 1999}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=#400: 09-09-99 ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO SELECTS FORMER SENATOR JOHN DANFORTH AS SPECIAL COUNSEL TO HEAD WACO REVIEW |url=https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/1999/September/400ag.htm |access-date=2023-11-24 |website=www.justice.gov}}</ref>
|{{dts|November 8, 2000}}
|[[Waco siege]]
|style="background: {{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Janet|Reno}}<br />{{small|(Attorney General)}}
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Independent (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Patrick|Fitzgerald}}
|{{dts|December 30, 2003}}
|{{dts|March 6, 2008}}<ref name="Amark Foundation"/>
|[[Plame affair]]
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Jim|Comey|James Comey}}<br />{{small|(Deputy Attorney General)}}
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Bob|Mueller|Robert Mueller}}
|{{dts|May 17, 2017}}
|{{dts|May 29, 2019}}
|[[Mueller special counsel investigation|Investigation]] into possible interference by the Russian government in the 2016 presidential election, which include a possible criminal conspiracy between the Russian government and the presidential campaign of Donald Trump
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Rod|Rosenstein}}<br />{{small|(Deputy Attorney General)}}
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|John|Durham}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Johnson |first=Kevin |title=Attorney General taps top Connecticut federal prosecutor for review of Trump-Russia inquiry |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/05/13/attorney-general-barr-john-durham-us-attorney-connecticut-review-trump-russia-investigation-origin/1195462001/ |website=USA TODAY |date=May 14, 2019|access-date=May 17, 2019}}</ref>
|{{dts|October 19, 2020}}
|{{dts|May 15, 2023}}
|Counter-investigation of the origins of the FBI's [[Crossfire Hurricane (FBI investigation)|Crossfire Hurricane]] probe
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Bill|Barr}}<br />{{small|(Attorney General)}}
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Independent (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Jack|Smith|dab=lawyer}}
|{{dts|November 18, 2022}}
|present
|[[Donald Trump]]'s attempts to delay the certification of the [[2020 United States presidential election]] and his [[FBI investigation into Donald Trump's handling of government documents|mishandling of files]] recovered during the [[FBI search of Mar-a-Lago]]
|rowspan=3 style="background: {{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}};" |
|rowspan=3 |{{sortname|Merrick|Garland}}<br />{{small|(Attorney General)}}
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Robert K.|Hur}}
|{{dts|January 12, 2023}}
|{{dts|February 5, 2024}}<ref name="ap-tucker-24">{{cite news |last1=Tucker |first1=Eric |title=Special counsel investigating Biden's handling of classified documents has completed probe, AG says |url=https://apnews.com/article/biden-classified-documents-justice-department-2119e67415055cb16851d85b4c412534 |access-date=10 February 2024 |work=[[Associated Press News]] |date=February 7, 2024}}</ref>
|Investigation of the [[Joe Biden classified documents incident]]
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|David|Weiss|David C. Weiss}}
|{{dts|August 11, 2023}}
|present
|[[Weiss special counsel investigation|Hunter Biden scandal]]
|}

==See also==
*[[Mueller special counsel investigation]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060420102849/http://www.gpo.gov/congress/icreport/ United States Office of the Independent Counsel] Official
* [https://fas.org/irp/offdocs/walsh/ Final Report of Independent Counsel Walsh (August 4, 1993)]
* [http://icreport.access.gpo.gov/lewinsky.html Final Report of the Independent Counsel (March 2002)]
* [http://icreport.access.gpo.gov Final Report of Independent Counsel Starr]
* [http://icreport.access.gpo.gov/report/2toc.htm IC Starr's Referral Report to Congress (September 9, 1998)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20030602172920/http://www.oic.gov/SMALTZ/FnlRpt.htm Report of Independent Counsel Smaltz (October 2001)]
* [https://www.archives.gov/research_room/independent_counsel_records/counsel_records_index.html NARA Archives of the Independent Counsels]
* [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/003263302 Report on the Death of Vincent W. Foster, Jr,/by the Office of Independent Counsel in Re Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan Association] HATI Trust Digital Library, Universities of Michigan and Purdue, the complete 137 page, 2 vol. report with app., footnotes, and exhibits.

{{Special prosecutors and independent counsels of the U.S.}}

[[Category:History of the government of the United States|Independent Counsel]]
[[Category:Independent agencies of the United States government|Independent Counsel]]
[[Category:Prosecution services]]
[[Category:Government agencies established in 1983]]
[[Category:Government agencies disestablished in 1999]]
[[Category:United States Department of Justice]]