IV 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 695 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives on the appointment 
by the Attorney General of an outside special counsel to investigate 
certain recent leaks of apparently classified and highly sensitive informa-
tion on United States military and intelligence plans, programs, and 
operations. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 20, 2012 
Mr. QUAYLE (for himself and Mr. GOWDY) submitted the following resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives on 
the appointment by the Attorney General of an outside 
special counsel to investigate certain recent leaks of ap-
parently classified and highly sensitive information on 
United States military and intelligence plans, programs, 
and operations. 
Whereas over the past few weeks, several publications have 
been released that cite several highly sensitive United 
States military and intelligence counterterrorism plans, 
programs, and operations; 
Whereas these publications appear to be based in substantial 
part on unauthorized disclosures of classified informa-
tion; 
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Whereas the unauthorized disclosure of classified information 
is a felony under Federal law; 
Whereas the identity of the sources in these publications in-
clude senior administration officials, participants in these 
reported plans, programs, and operations, and current 
American officials who spoke anonymously about these 
reported plans, programs, and operations because they 
remain classified, parts of them are ongoing, or both; 
Whereas such unauthorized disclosures may inhibit the ability 
of the United States to employ the same or similar plans, 
programs, or operations in the future; put at risk the na-
tional security of the United States and the safety of the 
men and women sworn to protect it; and dismay our al-
lies; 
Whereas under Federal law, the Attorney General may ap-
point an outside special counsel when an investigation or 
prosecution would present a conflict of interest or other 
extraordinary circumstances and when doing so would 
serve the public interest; 
Whereas investigations of unauthorized disclosures of classi-
fied information are ordinarily conducted by the Federal 
Bureau of Investigation with assistance from prosecutors 
in the National Security Division of the Department of 
Justice; 
Whereas there is precedent for officials in the National Secu-
rity Division of the Department of Justice to recuse itself 
from such investigations to avoid even the appearance of 
impropriety or undue influence, and it appears that there 
have been such recusals with respect to the investigation 
of at least one of these unauthorized disclosures; 
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Whereas such recusals are indicative of the serious complica-
tions already facing the Department of Justice in inves-
tigating these matters; 
Whereas the severity of the national security implications of 
these disclosures; the imperative for investigations of 
these disclosures to be conducted independently so as to 
avoid even the appearance of impropriety or undue influ-
ence; and the need to conduct these investigations expedi-
tiously to ensure timely mitigation constitute extraor-
dinary circumstances; and 
Whereas, for the foregoing reasons, the appointment of an 
outside special counsel would serve the public interest: 
Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that— 
(1) the Attorney General should— 
(A) delegate to an outside special counsel 
all of the authority of the Attorney General 
with respect to investigations by the Depart-
ment of Justice of any and all unauthorized dis-
closures of classified and highly sensitive infor-
mation related to various United States military 
and intelligence plans, programs, and oper-
ations reported in recent publications; and 
(B) direct an outside special counsel to ex-
ercise that authority independently of the su-
pervision or control of any officer of the De-
partment of Justice; 
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(2) under such authority, the outside special 
counsel should investigate any and all unauthorized 
disclosures of classified and highly sensitive informa-
tion on which such recent publications were based 
and, where appropriate, prosecute those responsible; 
and 
(3) the President should assess— 
(A) whether any such unauthorized disclo-
sures of classified and highly sensitive informa-
tion damaged the national security of the 
United States; and 
(B) how such damage can be mitigated. 
Æ 
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