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, Section 595. Logo of the United States Office of the Independent Counsel from http://www. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Alberto Gonzales, current Attorney General of the United States The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. ... Justice Department redirects here. ... Congress in Joint Session. ... The United States Code (U.S.C.) is a compilation and codification of the general and permanent federal Law of the United States. ...

In 1978, a Democratic Congress determined to curb the powers of the 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 the Ethics in Government Act, 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. The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States, the other one being the Republican Party. ... The presidential seal was used by president Hayes in 1880 and last modified in 1959 by adding the 50th star for Hawaii. ... The term Watergate refers to a series of events, spanning from 1972 to 1974, that began with U.S. President Nixons administrations abuse of power toward the goal of undermining political opposition in the public anti-war movement and the Democratic Party. ... The Saturday night massacre (October 20, 1973) was the term given by political commentators to U.S. President Richard Nixons executive dismissal of independent special prosecutor Archibald Cox, and the forced resignations of Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus during the controversial and drawn-out... The Ethics in Government Act of 1978 is a United States federal law passed in the wake of the Watergate Scandal that sets financial disclosure requirements for public officials and restrictions on former government employees lobbying activities. ...

The prosecutor, who was appointed by a special panel of the Federal DC appeals court, could investigate allegations of any misconduct, with an unlimited budget and no deadline, and could be dismissed by only the Attorney General or a panel of three federal judges. As the president could not dismiss those investigating the executive branch it was felt that the independence of the office would insure impartiality of any reports presented to Congress. However, there have been many critics of this law including Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Many 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. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the U.S. and leads the judicial branch of the U.S. federal government. ... Antonin Gregory Scalia (born March 11, 1936) is an American jurist who has been a prominent conservative and originalist voice on the Supreme Court of the United States of America and one of the most outspoken advocates of textualism in statutory interpretation and original meaning in constitutional interpretation. ... Morrison v. ...

Previously under the Independent Counsel Reauthorization Act of 1994 United States Attorney General Janet Reno had Donald C. 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 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." Alberto Gonzales, current Attorney General of the United States The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. ... Janet Reno (born July 21, 1938) was the 78th Attorney General of the United States (1993–2001), and was the first woman to hold that post. ... The United States courts of appeals (or circuit courts) are the mid-level appellate courts of the United States federal court system. ... September 9 is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The U.S. Department of Agriculture, also called the Agriculture Department, or USDA, is a Cabinet department of the United States Federal Government. ... Alphonso Michael Espy, called Mike Espy, (born November 30, 1953) was a U.S. political figure. ...

The most famous Independent Counsel was Kenneth Starr, whose report led to the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. The most recently appointed and now dormant Office of the Independent Counsel was created to investigate the death of Vincent Foster , Whitewater and Monica Lewinsky scandals, among other prosecutions. 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. ... Depiction of the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson, then President of the United States, in 1868. ... William Jefferson Clinton, (born William Jefferson Blythe III on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ... Vincent Walker Foster, Jr. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Monica Lewinsky as she appeared on the cover of her book, Monicas Story. Monica Lewinsky receives a hug from U.S. President Bill Clinton during a fundraising event in Washington, DC, October, 1996 Monica Samille Lewinsky (born July 23, 1973) is an American woman who was thrust into the...

The Office of the Independent Counsel is not to be confused with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) which is a permanent independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency whose basic legislative authority come from three federal statutes, the Civil Service Reform Act, the Whistleblower Protection Act, and the Hatch Act. The United States Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is a permanent independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency whose basic legislative authority come from three federal statutes, the Civil Service Reform Act, the Whistleblower Protection Act, and the Hatch Act. ... The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 reformed the civil service of the United States federal government. ... A whistleblower is an employee, former employee, or member of an organization who reports misconduct to people or entities that have the power to take corrective action. ... The name Hatch Act is given to two unrelated pieces of United States federal legislation The Hatch Act of 1887 created agricultural experiment stations. ...

History of the Office

• Originally created by the Independent Counsel Act (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
• Expired at midnight on June 30, 1999

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. ... January 3 is the 3rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... June 30 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 184 days remaining. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... June 30 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 184 days remaining. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

Historic Independent Counsel Event

October 10, 1997, marked the first time an Independent Counsel's Report was made public with evidence of criminal activity by the Independent Counsel's own staff attached to his report. On September 26, 1997, the three judge panel of the Special Division that appointed Kenneth Starr, Starr to append his Report on the Death of Vince Foster to include evidence submitted by John H. Clarke, attorney for grand jury witness Patrick Knowlton. Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr filed a motion to Judges David Sentelle , John Butzner, and Peter Fay to reconsider. The very next day, September 30, 1997, the court ordered "that the motion of the Independent Counsel be denied." Kenneth Starr remains the only Independent Counsel in U.S. history to have evidence of criminal activity by his own office attached to his report.^[1] Vince Foster Vincent Walker Foster, Jr. ... Judge David Bryan Sentelle (born 1943) was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on February 2, 1987. ... 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. ...

The Independent Counsel law allows persons named in an Independent Counsel's report to submit comments and factual information, which, in the discretion of the Court, may be ordered appended to the report, in whole or in part. The existence and contents of this historic addendum to Starr's Report has never been publicized.

Investigations carried out by Independent Counsel

• Independent Counsel Arthur Christy- relating to allegations of illegal drug use of Jimmy Carter's aide Hamilton Jordan, 1978
• Independent Counsel Leon Silverman relating to Raymond Donovan, 1981-84
• Independent Counsel Jacob A. Stein relating to Edwin Meese III, 1984
• Independent Counsel Whitney North Seymour, Jr. relating to Michael Deaver, 1981-89
• Independent Counsel Alexia Morrison relating to Theodore Olson, 1986-88
• Independent Counsel James C. McKay relating to Franklin Nofziger and Edwin Meese III, 1984-89
• Independent Counsel Lawrence Walsh relating to the Iran-Contra Affair, 1986-94
• Independent Counsels Arlin Adams and Larry Thompson relating to Samuel Pierce and others associated with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 1988-98
• Independent Counsel Joseph DiGenova relating to improper search of passport records, 1992-95
• Independent Counsel Donald Smaltz relating to charges of corruption against Mike Espy, 1994-2001
• Independent Counsel David Barrett (prosecutor) relating to Henry Cisneros, 1995-2006
• Independent Counsel Curtis Emery von Kann relating to Eli J. Segal, 1996-98
• Independent Counsels Kenneth Starr, and Robert Ray relating to the death of Vince Foster , Whitewater scandal, and later the Monica Lewinsky affair, 1994-2001

For the submarine, see USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23). ... William Hamilton McWhorter Jordan (September 21, 1944) served as White House Chief of Staff in 1979 - 1980 and was a key advisor and strategist for President Jimmy Carter of the United States of America. ... Raymond J. Donovan (August 31, 1930-) is an American politician and former federal office-holder. ... Edwin Meese III Edwin Ed Meese III (born December 2, 1931 in Oakland, California) served as the seventy-fifth Attorney General of the United States (1985-1988). ... Michael Keith Deaver (April 11, 1938-) was United States President Ronald Reagans Deputy White House Chief of Staff from January 1981 until May 1985. ... Theodore Bevry Olson (born September 11, 1940) was the 42nd United States Solicitor General, serving from June 2001 to July 2004. ... Edwin Meese III Edwin Ed Meese III (born December 2, 1931 in Oakland, California) served as the seventy-fifth Attorney General of the United States (1985-1988). ... The Iran-Contra Affair was the biggest political scandal in the United States during the 1980s. ... Larry Thompson was briefly regarded as the leading candidate for Attorney General after John Ashcroft left the post. ... Samuel Riley Silent Sam Pierce, Jr. ... 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. ... Alphonso Michael Espy, called Mike Espy, (born November 30, 1953) was a U.S. political figure. ... Henry Gabriel Cisneros (born June 11, 1947) is a prominent American politician and community leader. ... 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, Section 595. ... Vince Foster Vincent Walker Foster, Jr. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Monica Lewinsky as she appeared on the cover of her book, Monicas Story. Monica Lewinsky receives a hug from U.S. President Bill Clinton during a fundraising event in Washington, DC, October, 1996 Monica Samille Lewinsky (born July 23, 1973) is an American woman who was thrust into the...

Notes and references

September 30 is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 92 days remaining. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Report On the death of Vincent W. Foster, Jr., by the Office of Independent Counsel in Re: Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan Association. Available from the government printing office as document number 028-004-00095-8, 137 pages, $14.
• Final Report of the Independent Counsel (March 2002)
• Final Report of Independent Counsel Starr
• IC Starr's Referral Report to Congress (September 9, 1998)
• Report of Independent Counsel Smaltz (October 2001)
• NARA Archives of the Independent Counsels