Mike Thompson: “we at the Governmental Affairs Committee are, indeed, conducting hearings with regard to the independent counsel. The…”

“we at the Governmental Affairs Committee are, indeed, conducting hearings with regard to the independent counsel. The criticisms of the Independent Counsel Act have been many and well known for many, many years. The Act was passed in 1978. I was one of the ones who was critical of the idea that you could set somebody up totally separate and outside the process and not accountable in the very beginning. A lot of my friends now who criticize the Act, of course, thought it was a very good idea back when the independent counsel were investigating the other party. All of the criticisms about Mr. Starr, of course, were applicable to Mr. Walsh's investigation, which went on longer, cost more than Mr. Starr's investigation back during previous administrations. We should not look at this in terms of who is investigating whom. As I say, I have been critical of it all along. I still am. But the question is, Where is the power going to reside if you have a real conflict of interest? If you have a President of the United States who has been accused of serious misconduct, can his appointee, the Attorney General, investigate that with any credibility? I think for most of the Attorneys General we have had throughout our history, the answer is, yes, they have been people of great integrity. But what about the perception? Is that a good idea? So if we do not have an independent counsel, we give it back to the employee of the President to investigate the President?”