Donald C. Smaltz is California lawyer who was appointed as Independent Counsel to investigate charges that Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy had received improper gifts from companies with business before his department. United States Office of the Independent Counsel was an independent prosecutor — distinct from the Attorney General of the United States Department of Justice — that provided reports to the Congress under Title 28 of the United States Code, Article 595. ... The United States Secretary of Agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture concerned with land and food as well as agriculture and rural development. ... Alphonso Michael Espy, called Mike Espy, (born November 30, 1953) was a U.S. political figure. ...

Background

Smaltz is the son of a Bethlehem, Pennsylvania steelworker and an Italian immigrant mother. He attended Penn State University and Dickinson School of Law where he receivid his law degree in 1961. Motto: Nickname: Map Political Statistics Founded 1741 Incorporated Lehigh and Northampton Counties Mayor John B. Callahan Geographic Statistics Area  - Total  - Land  - Water 50. ... The Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (commonly known as Penn State) is a state-related land-grant university in Pennsylvania, with over 80,000 students at 24 campuses throughout the state. ... The Dickinson School of Law is located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and is the law school of The Pennsylvania State University. ... A Law degree is the degree conferred on someone who successfully completes studies in law. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Smaltz served as a trial attorney for the Army's Judge Advocate General Corps. He then spent several years as Assistant United States Attorney in Los Angeles, where he specialized in white-collar crime. US Army Seal The United States Army is the branch of the United States armed forces that has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... This article is in reference to the U.S. JAG Corps. ... United States Attorneys represent the U.S. federal government in United States district court. ... This article is about the largest city in California. ... White-collar crimes (a term coined by Edwin Sutherland in 1939) or business crimes are those crimes specifically performed by white collar employees. ...

In 1975, after moving into private practice, Smaltz grabbed headlines when he and another lawyer accused Watergate prosecutors of misconduct and persuaded a judge to dismiss two indictments against Richard Nixon's personal tax lawyer. Other high-profile clients have included the Teamsters and a bank with extensive ties to the late Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his wife. The Watergate Complex (now the Watergate Hotel) as depicted in Government Exhibit 1. ... In the common law legal system, an indictment is a formal charge of having committed a serious criminal offence. ... Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. ... Teamsters logo. ... Ferdinand Edralín Marcos (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was the tenth president of the Philippines, serving from 1965 to 1986. ... Imelda Romualdez Marcos (born July 2, 1929 in Tacloban City) is the former First Lady and a political figure in the Philippines. ...

During the Bush Administration, Smaltz was asked by Judge George MacKinnon if he would be interested in leading an independent counsel probe into fraud and mismanagement at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and join the Justice Department. Smaltz ultimately turned down the job. Order: 41st President Vice President: Dan Quayle Term of office: January 20, 1989 – January 20, 1993 Preceded by: Ronald Reagan Succeeded by: Bill Clinton Date of birth: June 12, 1924 Place of birth: Milton, Massachusetts First Lady: Barbara Pierce Bush Political party: Republican George Herbert Walker Bush, KBE (born June... The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, often abbreviated HUD, is a Cabinet department of the United States government. ... The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is a Cabinet department in the United States government designed to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans. ...

In 1994, Smaltz accepted the offer to serve as independent counsel in the Mike Espy case — a job that he says he originally expected to last six months.

Most prosecutors seek to cultivate a relentless and aggressive image, and Smaltz is no exception. The door to his office sported a poster-size version of the broad mandate he was given by the court to investigate charges against Espy. Above it Smaltz has placed an inscription from Plato, which reads "The servants of the nation are to render their services without any taking of presents...the disobedient shall, if convicted, die without ceremony." Plato Plato (Greek: Πλάτων, Plátōn) (c. ...

See also

• Bill Clinton
• Mike Espy
• Kenneth Starr
  • Independent Counsel

Mike Espy was ultimately found innocent of all charges that Donald Smaltz brought against him. Mike Espy's legal team did not even have to present a defence. William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ... Alphonso Michael Espy, called Mike Espy, (born November 30, 1953) was a U.S. political figure. ... Kenneth Winston Starr (born July 21, 1946 in Vernon, Texas) is an American lawyer and former judge who was appointed to the Office of the Independent Counsel to investigate the Whitewater land transactions by President Bill Clinton. ... United States Office of the Independent Counsel was an independent prosecutor — distinct from the Attorney General of the United States Department of Justice — that provided reports to the Congress under Title 28 of the United States Code, Article 595. ...

References

• Frontline: Secrets of an Independent Counsel: Who is Don Smaltz? - Frontline, PBS

External links

• "Supreme Court rules Sun Diamond Growers did not violate federal law in Espy case" - CNN, April 27, 1999
• "A Harsh Verdict for Espy's Prosecutor" - The Washington Post, December 5, 1998
• "Was this a bad idea?" - CNN, December 14, 1998