On the recordFebruary 9, 1994
that is a fair question and there is a good answer for it. First of all, every American, no matter whether they are an independent counsel or not, is subject to title 18, United States Code, section 798, which provides criminal penalties for disclosure of classified information. In addition to that, Government employees, which independent counsel are, can also be punished for improper communication of classified information pursuant to title 50, United States Code, section 783. Independent counsel are also subject to 47 pages of regulations regarding handling of classified materials, and they can be fired for a serious breach of these rules. That is to say, they can be fired for cause and violation of any of these statutes would probably satisfy that standard.
Source
govinfo.gov
