1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Trusted, Reliable, Unquestioned Method of Procedure for Special Counsel Appointment, Limitations, and Powers Act of 2017 or the TRUMP Special Counsel Act . 2. Grounds for appointing a Special Counsel (a) In general The Attorney General shall appoint a Special Counsel when the Attorney General determines that— (1) criminal investigation of a person or matter is warranted; (2) that investigation or prosecution of that person or matter by a United States Attorney’s Office or litigating Division of the Department of Justice would present a conflict of interest for the Department or other extraordinary circumstances; and (3) under the circumstances, it would be in the public interest to appoint an outside Special Counsel to assume responsibility for the matter. (b) Extraordinary circumstances For the purposes of subsection (a) extraordinary circumstances exist in any criminal investigation— (1) of the President, Vice President, their spouses or children, or any organization, enterprise, or entity owned by, under the control of, or serving the interests of the President or Vice President; or (2) which involves the activities of agents or entities under the control of or allied with a foreign state acting in concert with agents, organizations or entities associated with the President or the Vice President. 3. Alternatives available to the Attorney General (a) In general When matters are brought to the attention of the Attorney General that might warrant consideration of appointment of a Special Counsel, the Attorney General may— (1) appoint a Special Counsel; (2) direct that an initial investigation, consisting of such factual inquiry or legal research as the Attorney General deems appropriate, be conducted in order to better inform the decision