special counsel

noun

: counsel appointed to fill a particular need: as

a

: a federal government official appointed by the Attorney General to investigate and prosecute government corruption in cases where the Attorney General's office has a conflict of interest

b

: a federal government official appointed to protect federal employees from illegal practices by employers and especially from employer reprisal for whistleblowing

Examples of special counsel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Defense attorneys, meanwhile, argue that with issues that likely go up to the highest levels of the Department of Justice, the only way to get to the truth is through the appointment of independent special counsel with subpoena power. — Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026

The Republicans in Washington are pressuring the Department of Justice to charge the former special counsel Jack Smith with perjury. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026

The nearly 70 hours of recordings, released Monday evening by the Oversight Project, a conservative watchdog group, were cited in former special counsel Robert Hur’s 2024 report on Biden’s handling of classified documents. — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 27 July 2026

House Republicans are urging the Justice Department to launch a criminal investigation into former special counsel Jack Smith, alleging that Smith made false statements last year about his effort to gather phone records of lawmakers. — Carrie Johnson, NPR, 23 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1818, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for special counsel

• council

Legal Definition

special counsel

noun

: counsel appointed to fill a particular need

specifically, capitalized : a government official charged with protecting employees from illegal practices by employers and especially from employer reprisal for whistleblowing