I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2444 
To create an alternative prosecutor for certain Federal offenses. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 16, 2017 
Ms. JACKSON LEE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To create an alternative prosecutor for certain Federal 
offenses. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Trusted, Reliable, Un-
questioned Method of Procedure for Special Counsel Ap-
pointment, Limitations, and Powers Act of 2017’’ or the 
‘‘TRUMP Special Counsel Act’’. 
SEC. 2. GROUNDS FOR APPOINTING A SPECIAL COUNSEL. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall ap-
point a Special Counsel when the Attorney General deter-
mines that— 
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(1) criminal investigation of a person or matter 
is warranted; 
(2) that investigation or prosecution of that 
person or matter by a United States Attorney’s Of-
fice or litigating Division of the Department of Jus-
tice would present a conflict of interest for the De-
partment or other extraordinary circumstances; and 
(3) under the circumstances, it would be in the 
public interest to appoint an outside Special Counsel 
to assume responsibility for the matter. 
(b) EXTRAORDINARY
CIRCUMSTANCES.—For the 
purposes of subsection (a) extraordinary circumstances 
exist in any criminal investigation— 
(1) of the President, Vice President, their 
spouses or children, or any organization, enterprise, 
or entity owned by, under the control of, or serving 
the interests of the President or Vice President; or 
(2) which involves the activities of agents or en-
tities under the control of or allied with a foreign 
state acting in concert with agents, organizations or 
entities associated with the President or the Vice 
President. 
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SEC. 3. ALTERNATIVES AVAILABLE TO THE ATTORNEY 
GENERAL. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—When matters are brought to the 
attention of the Attorney General that might warrant con-
sideration of appointment of a Special Counsel, the Attor-
ney General may— 
(1) appoint a Special Counsel; 
(2) direct that an initial investigation, con-
sisting of such factual inquiry or legal research as 
the Attorney General deems appropriate, be con-
ducted in order to better inform the decision; or 
(3) conclude that under the circumstances of 
the matter, the public interest would not be served 
by removing the investigation from the normal proc-
esses of the Department, and that the appropriate 
component of the Department should handle the 
matter. 
(b) MITIGATION OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.—If 
the Attorney General reaches the conclusion described in 
subsection (a)(3), the Attorney General may direct that 
appropriate steps be taken to mitigate any conflicts of in-
terest, such as recusal of particular officials. 
SEC. 4. QUALIFICATIONS OF THE SPECIAL COUNSEL. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—An individual named as Special 
Counsel shall be a lawyer with a reputation for integrity 
and impartial decisionmaking, and with appropriate expe-
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rience to ensure both that the investigation will be con-
ducted ably, expeditiously and thoroughly, and that inves-
tigative and prosecutorial decisions will be supported by 
an informed understanding of the criminal law and De-
partment of Justice policies. The Special Counsel shall be 
selected from outside the United States Government. Spe-
cial Counsels shall agree that their responsibilities as Spe-
cial Counsel shall take first precedence in their profes-
sional lives, and that it may be necessary to devote their 
full time to the investigation, depending on its complexity 
and the stage of the investigation. 
(b) METHOD OF APPOINTMENT; BACKGROUND IN-
VESTIGATION.—The Attorney General shall consult with 
the Assistant Attorney General for Administration to en-
sure an appropriate method of appointment, and to ensure 
that a Special Counsel undergoes an appropriate back-
ground investigation and a detailed review of ethics and 
conflicts of interest issues. A Special Counsel shall be ap-
pointed as a ‘‘confidential employee’’ as defined in section 
7511(b)(2)(C) of title 5, United States Code. 
SEC. 5. JURISDICTION. 
(a) ORIGINAL JURISDICTION.—The jurisdiction of a 
Special Counsel shall be established by the Attorney Gen-
eral. The Attorney General shall provide to the Special 
Counsel a specific factual statement of the matter to be 
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investigated. The jurisdiction of a Special Counsel shall 
also include the authority to investigate and prosecute 
Federal crimes committed in the course of, and with intent 
to interfere with, the Special Counsel’s investigation, such 
as perjury, obstruction of justice, destruction of evidence, 
and intimidation of witnesses; and to conduct appeals aris-
ing out of any matter being investigated or prosecuted. 
(b) ADDITIONAL JURISDICTION.—If in the course of 
an investigation the Special Counsel concludes that addi-
tional jurisdiction beyond that specified in the original ju-
risdiction is necessary in order to fully investigate and re-
solve the matters assigned, or to investigate new matters 
that come to light in the course of the investigation, the 
Special Counsel shall consult with the Attorney General, 
who will determine whether to include the additional mat-
ters within the Special Counsel’s jurisdiction or assign 
them elsewhere. 
(c) CIVIL AND ADMINISTRATIVE JURISDICTION.—If 
in the course of an investigation the Special Counsel deter-
mines that administrative remedies, civil sanctions or 
other governmental action outside the criminal justice sys-
tem might be appropriate, the Special Counsel shall con-
sult with the Attorney General with respect to the appro-
priate component to take any necessary action. A Special 
Counsel shall not have civil or administrative authority un-
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less specifically granted such jurisdiction by the Attorney 
General. 
SEC. 6. STAFF. 
A Special Counsel may request the assignment of ap-
propriate Department employees to assist the Special 
Counsel. The Department shall gather and provide the 
Special Counsel with the names and re´sume´s of appro-
priate personnel available for detail. The Special Counsel 
may also request the detail of specific employees, and the 
office for which the designated employee works shall make 
reasonable efforts to accommodate the request. The Spe-
cial Counsel shall assign the duties and supervise the work 
of such employees while they are assigned to the Special 
Counsel. If necessary, the Special Counsel may request 
that additional personnel be hired or assigned from out-
side the Department. All personnel in the Department 
shall cooperate to the fullest extent possible with the Spe-
cial Counsel. 
SEC. 7. POWERS AND AUTHORITY. 
Subject to the limitations in section 8, the Special 
Counsel shall exercise, within the scope of the Special 
Counsel’s jurisdiction, the full power and independent au-
thority to exercise all investigative and prosecutorial func-
tions of any United States Attorney. Except as provided 
in this part, the Special Counsel shall determine whether 
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