At a press conference today, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette officially announced an independent probe into the Flint water crisis to determine if any laws were broken at any level. Schuette has named Former Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Todd Flood and former Detroit FBI Chief Andrew Arena as special counsel.
However, the independence of the investigation is still under question. Although Schuette did name outside actors as special counsel and prosecutors, the question of whether the investigators will have authority outside of the attorney general’s office still remains to be seen. Schuette announced the investigation because of the inherent conflict of interest as his office will also be defending the state and Governor Rick Snyder’s office in lawsuits filed by citizens of Flint after they were forced to pay for contaminated water.