Special Counsel
Definition: A person appointed by the U.S. Attorney General, or
their designee, in cases where an internal investigation may
present a conflict of interest or when it may be in the public
interest.
'I Shot the Sheriff'
Prior to Watergate, there was no formal process or requirement for the
appointment of special counsel. As a result, appointments were ad
hoc. Special counsel were appointed during the administrations of
Presidents Grant, Garfield, Teddy Roosevelt, and Coolidge to investigate scandals, with varying
results.
Following allegations that President Nixon's aides were
responsible for the break-in at the Watergate and facing increasing
political pressure from Congress, Nixon ordered the Attorney
General to appoint Archibald Cox, a former U.S. Solicitor General
under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, to serve as special counsel
to investigate the allegations. In a tense standoff following
Cox's request for Nixon to turn over White House
