	Background

The following list provides the names of the independent counsels (called "specialprosecutors" until 1983) who had been appointed by the special Division of the Court for AppointingIndependent Counsels, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, upon applicationfrom the Attorney General of the United States under the provisions originally enacted in the Ethicsin Government Act of 1978. (1) The list sets out in summary fashion the areas or subjects ofinvestigation by the independent counsel and briefly highlights the results of those investigations. These investigations, according to reports from the Departmentof Justice concerning early special prosecutor and independent counsel investigations, and laterpublished audits from the Government Accountability Office, have cost, as of September 30, 2005,a total of approximately $228,712,589. Thestatutory provisions for the appointment of independent counsels expired under a five year "sunset"provision at the end of June, 1999, when the law was not reauthorized by Congress, and thus no newindependent counsels may be appointed by the Special Division of the Court. Of the 20 independent counselinvestigations that were initiated under the former statutory mechanism, in a majority of the cases-- specifically in 12 of the investigations -- no indictments were brought against anyone investigated. Of the 8 investigations which did return at least one indictment, in 3 of those instances there was noindictment brought against the principal Government official originally named as the subject ortarget of that independent counsel's investigation. (12) Thus, of the 20 independent counsel investigations initiated,although several independent counsel investigations resulted in multiple convictions of personsrelating either to the original subject matter or a peripheral matter, including the convictions offederal officials and former federal officials involved, only two federal officials who were actuallythe named subjects of the 20 investigations were finally convicted of or pleaded guilty to the chargesbrought. List of Special Prosecutors/Independent Counsels

The special prosecutors and independent counsels appointed by a special judicial panel at therequest of the Attorney General, under the provisions of federal law originally enacted in the Ethicsin Government Act of 1978, have included:
1. Meese violated the law. Cost of the investigation: $15,000. The final report of the independent counsel's office was released October 27, 1998. According to the reports by the General Accounting Office, thecost of the investigations of Independent Counsel Smaltz through September 30, 2005, has been$25,157,010. The cost of investigation, including reimbursement of attorneys' fees, was$628,156.
This report lists the independent counsels (called "special prosecutors" until 1983) appointedby the Special Division of the United States Court of Appeals upon application from the AttorneyGeneral of the United States, under the provisions of the law originally enacted in the Ethics inGovernment Act of 1978. The report specifies the dates of the appointments of the independentcounsels and the dates of their final reports; sets out in summary fashion the areas or subjects ofinvestigation by the independent counsels; highlights the results of those investigations; and providesthe costs of the investigations through September 30, 2005, the date through which the GovernmentAccountability Office has completed the latest published audit of the offices of independent counsels(published March 31, 2006).
The information provided from public documents indicates that there have been 20 reportedindependent counsel or special prosecutor investigations initiated under the provisions of title VI ofthe Ethics in Government Act of 1978, as amended. Because Congress did not pass a reauthorizationof the law, the provisions of the independent counsel law expired under a five-year "sunset"provision on June 30, 1999, and independent counsels are no longer named by the Special Divisionof the Court. Investigations by independent counsels who had already been appointed before June30, 1999, however, were allowed to continue under the old provisions of the law until the mattersassigned to them had been completed (28 U.S.C. Â§ 599).
Of the 20 independent counsel investigations, 12 of the investigations returned noindictments against those investigated. Of the eight investigations that did return at least oneindictment, in three of those instances, there was no indictment brought against the principalgovernment official originally named as the target of that independent counsel's investigation; inthree other instances, the principal government official indicted was either acquitted or hisconviction was overturned on appeal. Thus, of the 20 independent counsel investigations initiated,although several independent counsels obtained multiple convictions of certain persons relating tothe original subject matter or peripheral matters (including convictions of several federal officialsor former federal officials), only two federal officials who were actually the named or principalsubjects of the 20 investigations were finally convicted of or pleaded guilty to the charges brought;in one of those two instances, that person was pardoned by the President.
According to reports from the Department of Justice concerning early "special prosecutor"and independent counsel investigations, and later published audits from the GovernmentAccountability Office, it is estimated that the total costs of all 20 independent counsel investigationsthrough September 30, 2005, including unaudited expenses of other agencies assisting theindependent counsels and the government-reimbursed costs of attorneys' fees when provided, hasbeen approximately $228,712,589.