I.

Introduction

Independent Counsel Act, law that provided for the appointment of a prosecutor, called an independent counsel, to investigate alleged crimes by high-ranking officials in the executive and legislative branches of the United States government. The Congress of the United States passed the law in 1978 as part of reforms enacted in response to the Watergate scandal that occurred during the presidency of Richard Nixon. The law expired in 1999. Independent counsels were charged with investigating high-ranking officials while remaining free from conflicts of interest and political influences. As part of this mission, the law removed independent counsels from the direct oversight of Congress and the president of the United States.

A total of 20 independent counsels were appointed under the law. They conducted investigations involving many alleged crimes by senior government officials, including drug abuse, perjury, obstruction of justice, connections to organized crime, income tax evasion, and illegal lobbying. Seven independent counsel investigations resulted in indictments.

The office of the independent counsel was controversial. Critics charged that in spite of the law’s intent, independent counsel investigations were motivated by politics, and that the office of the independent counsel unconstitutionally intruded upon the authority of the executive branch of the United States government.