#3 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 28 U.S.C. § 595. It operated from 1978 until it was terminated in 1999 and replaced by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Special Counsel.
Now only Holder has the authority to investigate the Executive branch, including himself. The original Independent Council law was established to provide more control over the Executive in the wake of Nixon and Watergate. |