Republican Opposition Grows on Capitol Hill
- Republican protests are growing louder on Capitol Hill as the Trump management's Department of justice pursues a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
- Powell on Sunday night revealed that the Justice Department opened an investigation into his handling of renovations to the central bank's headquarters and his testimony about the matter...
- Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro on Monday defended the investigation in a post to X and downplayed that a potential indictment is coming, arguing the...
Republican protests are growing louder on Capitol Hill as the Trump management’s Department of justice pursues a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
Powell on Sunday night revealed that the Justice Department opened an investigation into his handling of renovations to the central bank’s headquarters and his testimony about the matter to Congress. Powell said the investigation was an attempt to intimidate him by “threatening a criminal indictment” as he lowers interest rates at a slower pace than President Donald Trump desires.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro on Monday defended the investigation in a post to X and downplayed that a potential indictment is coming, arguing the “word ‘indictment’ has come out of Mr. Powell’s mouth, no one else’s.”
“The United States Attorney’s Office contacted the Federal Reserve on multiple occasions to discuss cost overruns and the chairman’s congressional testimony, but were ignored, necessitating the use of legal process-which is not a threat,” Pirro said. “None of this woudl have happened if thay had just responded to our outreach. This office makes decisions based on the merits, nothing more and nothing less.”
The GOP resistance could derail Trump’s eventual pick to succeed Powell when the Fed chief’s term is up in May, as North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, threatens to block any nominee to the central bank until the investigation is resolved. Tillis’ comments are now being echoed by other Republicans.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, wrote in a post on X, that the “administration’s investigation is nothing more than an attempt at coercion,” and called for a congressional investigation into the matter.
“If the Department of Justice believes an investigation into Chair Powell is warranted based on project cost overruns-which are not unusual-then Congress needs to investigate the Department of Justice,”