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

The foundation’s legal push centers on the idea that the recordings are part of the record reviewed during the special counsel probe into Biden’s handling of classified information, and therefore subject to disclosure with appropriate redactions. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 20 June 2026

Biden had intervened in a lawsuit brought by the Heritage Foundation over a Freedom of Information Act request that sought records from former special counsel Robert Hur's investigation into Biden's handling of classified materials after his time as vice president. — Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 19 June 2026

The recordings were obtained by special counsel Robert Hur in the course of his investigation into whether Biden improperly retained classified documents while a senator and vice president. — Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026

The motion concluded an untainted special counsel was necessary because the issues involved allegations of contempt and misconduct at high levels in the Justice Department. — Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 17 June 2026

Allan Culver is special counsel to the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office. — Allan Culver, Baltimore Sun, 12 June 2026

Walt Nauta, a personal aide to Mr. Trump, was one of Mr. Trump’s co-defendants in the classified-documents case brought by the former special counsel Jack Smith. — New York Times, 2 June 2026

He was also sentenced to two months in prison for lying to Congress over a proposed Trump Tower Moscow project, a charge brought by special counsel Robert Mueller. — Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 21 May 2026

Those records would eventually be available to Congress, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, or a future special counsel. — Patrick Eddington, Oc Register, 15 Apr. 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