Toward More Ethical Government: An Inspector General for the White House
Mercer Law Review Vol. 49, No. 553, 1998
Washington University in St. Louis Legal Studies Research Paper No. 12-04-05
13 Pages Posted: 8 May 2012 Last revised: 12 May 2012
Date Written: May 8, 2012
Abstract
This Symposium Article situates the independent counsel mechanism as one part of a multi-pronged effort to promote ethical government. From this perspective, the independent counsel mechanism is little more than a prosecution conflict-of-interest device. Within the context of criminal prosecution, the independent counsel mechanism is quite significant. However, ethical government does not live by criminal prosecution alone. Instead, it requires an ethical institutional culture, which includes the increased accountability that can come from administrative, rather than prosecutorial, mechanisms. This Article proposes and evaluates a new administrative mechanism, that of an inspector general for the White House.
Keywords: Government ethics, independent counsel, inspector general, White House, accountability
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