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Special prosecutors enjoy even greater power December 13, 1998 The Post-Gazette’s investigation didn’t look at the best-known federal prosecutor in the country. Kenneth Starr, who’s investigation of President Clinton could lead to his impeachment by the House of Representatives, works under the authority of the federal independent counsel statute, which gives him even more power than the federal agents and prosecutors that were the focus of the Post-Gazette series. By law, Starr operates independently of the Justice Department, unlike federal agents and prosecutors. He also enjoys a virtually unlimited budget. The targets of an independent counsel are few — there have been only 20 such investigations since Congress authorized them in 1978 — so the Post-Gazette focused exclusively on federal law enforcement officers, whose actions can touch any American.
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