Limits of Power of the Independent Counsel

Limits of Power of the Independent Counsel
▪ 1999

      On Sept. 9, 1998, the report of the Office of the Independent Counsel (OIC) was presented to the U.S. Congress. The culmination of a four-year, $40 million investigation by Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr (see BIOGRAPHIES (Starr, Kenneth W. )) into the conduct of U.S. Pres. Bill Clinton (see BIOGRAPHIES (Clinton, Bill )), the report concluded that "substantial and credible information" existed that Clinton had committed acts that constituted possible grounds for impeachment. As the American public absorbed the salacious details of Clinton's sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern half his age, some questioned the broad powers granted to Starr to unearth such information.

      The OIC (also known as a special prosecutor) was established under federal statute to conduct politically sensitive investigations. Special prosecutors played prominent roles in both the Watergate and the Iran-Contra affairs. In both these earlier cases, however, the purpose of the investigation was clearly defined from the outset. Starr's investigation, on the other hand, changed focus several times, which led some observers to suggest that its goal was not to expose the truth but to disable the president politically. The administration pointed out that in 445 pages the report referred only twice to the Whitewater land deal, the original target of the investigation, whereas it referred to the issue of sex more than 500 times.

      More significant concerns, however, arose from the OIC's ever-expanding jurisdiction. Under the terms of the independent counsel statute, if the OIC uncovers criminal conduct not within its jurisdiction, it may ask the Department of Justice to conduct its own preliminary investigation to determine whether to expand the OIC's jurisdiction. In January 1998 the OIC requested such additional jurisdiction, claiming that evidence existed that Clinton and Lewinsky were planning to commit perjury in the Paula Jones sexual harassment suit. The additional jurisdiction was granted on the basis of audiotapes made by Linda Tripp, a friend of Lewinsky, of conversations between the two. The Clinton administration cried foul, claiming that Starr's use of Tripp to obtain the information was an unlawful expansion of the investigation. Starr for his part said that Tripp had come forward with the allegations herself and that the OIC had a duty to conduct its own preliminary investigation prior to seeking increased jurisdiction.

      Despite misgivings about the broad scope of the OIC probe, the Starr report was submitted to the House Judiciary Committee. Starr had used his statutory powers to the fullest extent allowed by law. On December 19, the House voted two articles of impeachment against President Clinton.

JOHN H. MATHEWS

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • The Pope —     The Pope     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Pope     (Ecclesiastical Latin papa from Greek papas, a variant of pappas father, in classical Latin pappas Juvenal, Satires 6:633).     The title pope, once used with far greater latitude (see below …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Polis and its culture (The) — The polis and its culture Robin Osborne INTRODUCTION ‘We love wisdom without becoming soft’, Thucydides has the Athenian politician Pericles claim, using the verb philosophein.1 Claims to, and respect for, wisdom in archaic Greece were by no… …   History of philosophy

  • United States — a republic in the N Western Hemisphere comprising 48 conterminous states, the District of Columbia, and Alaska in North America, and Hawaii in the N Pacific. 267,954,767; conterminous United States, 3,022,387 sq. mi. (7,827,982 sq. km); with… …   Universalium

  • Preamble to the United States Constitution — We the People redirects here. For other uses, see We the People (disambiguation). United States of America This artic …   Wikipedia

  • Human rights in the United States — In 1776, Thomas Jefferson proposed a philosophy of human rights inherent to all people in the Declaration of Independence, asserting that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that… …   Wikipedia

  • Hierarchy of the Early Church — • The word hierarchy is used here to denote the three grades of bishop, priest, and deacon (ministri) Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Hierarchy of the Early Church     Hierarchy of the Early Church …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Government procurement in the United States — is based on many of the same principles as commercial contracting, but is subject to special laws and regulation as described below. Persons entering into commercial contracts are pretty much free to do anything that they can agree on. Each… …   Wikipedia

  • Pre-1773 History of the Jesuits —     Society of Jesus, History of the (Before 1773)     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► History of the Jesuits Before the 1773 Suppression     Italy     The history of the Jesuits in Italy was generally very peaceful. The only serious disturbances were… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • History of the United States (1991–present) — This article covers the history of the United States from 1991 to present, beginning at the end of the Cold War with the fall of the Soviet Union and the start of the United States military involvement in the Middle East.Globalization and the new …   Wikipedia

  • Gunfight at the O.K. Corral — For the film, see Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (film). Tombstone in 1881 …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”