US Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell speaks throughout a information convention following a Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) assembly in Washington, DC, on Dec. 10, 2025.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Photographs
Federal prosecutors have opened a prison investigation of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, he confirmed on Sunday night.
Powell stated the probe was the results of the Fed “setting rates of interest based mostly on our greatest evaluation of what is going to serve the general public, quite than following the preferences of” President Donald Trump.
“That is about whether or not the Fed will be capable to proceed to set rates of interest based mostly on proof and financial situations — or whether or not as an alternative financial coverage will likely be directed by political strain or intimidation,” he stated in a video assertion tweeted by the Fed’s X account.
Powell stated that on Friday “the Division of Justice served the Federal Reserve with grand jury subpoenas threatening a prison indictment associated to my testimony earlier than the Senate Banking Committee final June.”
“That testimony involved partially, a multi-year undertaking to renovate historic Federal Reserve workplace buildings,” he stated.
An individual conversant in the investigation informed CNBC that they’d not dispute the concept the probe of Powell is said to the constructing renovation and his testimony to Congress.
“I’ve deep respect for the rule of regulation and for accountability in our democracy. Nobody, actually not the chair of the Federal Reserve is above the regulation, however this unprecedented motion must be seen within the broader context of the administration’s threats and ongoing strain,” Powell stated in his assertion.
“Nobody — actually not the chair of the Federal Reserve — is above the regulation,” he stated.
“However this unprecedented motion must be seen within the broader context of the administration’s threats and ongoing strain,” Powell stated.
“This new risk shouldn’t be about my testimony final June or concerning the renovation of the Federal Reserve buildings. It isn’t about Congress’s oversight function; the Fed by testimony and different public disclosures made each effort to maintain Congress knowledgeable concerning the renovation undertaking. These are pretexts.”
US President Donald Trump speaks with Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell (R) as he visits the Federal Reserve in Washington, DC, on July 24, 2025.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | Afp | Getty Photographs
The New York Occasions first reported the probe, citing officers briefed on the matter.
The investigation is being overseen by the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace for the District of Columbia, in keeping with the newspaper.
That workplace is led by U.S. Lawyer Jeanine Pirro, a former New York state prosecutor and Fox Information host, who was appointed to that job by Trump.
Trump has repeatedly blasted Powell for the Fed not chopping rates of interest as a lot and as rapidly because the president has demanded since coming into the White Home in January 2025.
The White Home referred questions concerning the probe to the DOJ.
A DOJ spokesperson, in a press release to CNBC with out saying the remark was about Powell, stated, “The Lawyer Normal has instructed her US Attorneys to prioritize investigating any abuse of taxpayer {dollars}.”
Trump has made no secret he intends to take away Powell as chair after his time period expires in Might.
The 2 main contenders are believed to be former Governor Kevin Warsh and Kevin Hassett, the present director of the Nationwide Financial Council.
Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, and a member of the Senate Banking Committee, blasted the investigation of Powell and stated that he would oppose the nomination of Powell’s alternative by Trump, and some other Fed Board nominee, “till this authorized matter is absolutely resolved.”
“If there have been any remaining doubt whether or not advisers inside the Trump Administration are actively pushing to finish the independence of the Federal Reserve, there ought to now be none,” Tillis stated in a press release.
“It’s now the independence and credibility of the Division of Justice which are in query,” the senator stated.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, the rating Democrat on the Banking Committee, echoed Tillis.
“As Donald Trump prepares to appoint a brand new Fed Chair, he needs to push Jerome Powell off the Fed Board for good and set up one other sock puppet to finish his corrupt takeover of America’s central financial institution.” Warren stated in a press release.
“Trump is abusing the authorities of the Division of Justice like a wannabe dictator so the Fed serves his pursuits, alongside along with his billionaire buddies,” Warren stated. “This Committee and the Senate mustn’t transfer ahead with any Trump nominee for the Fed, together with Fed Chair.”
Brian Jacobsen, chief financial strategist at Annex Wealth Administration, in a word to purchasers on Sunday, wrote, “President Trump is attempting to carry prison prices towards Powell associated to his testimony earlier than Congress concerning the Fed’s headquarters renovation.”
“Powell might protest by staging a sit-in. His time period as Chair is up in Might, however his time period as a governor is not up till January 2028,” Jacobsen wrote.
“With the political strain on the Fed, he might select to remain on as a governor out of spite. It might deprive President Trump of the power to stack the board with one other appointee,” Jacobsen wrote. “Stephen Miran’s time period is up in January 2026 and that could be the one emptiness Trump will get to fill. It might be unconventional for Powell to remain on, however every little thing nowadays is unconventional.”
Trump nominated Powell to the Fed chair place in 2017; he was confirmed in 2018.
However nearly from the onset of Powell’s time period, Trump has repeatedly badgered the Fed chair about rates of interest.
At numerous occasions, Trump has known as Fed officers “boneheads” and as soon as referred to Powell as a golfer who can’t putt.
These criticisms intensified throughout Trump’s second time period, as he hectored the central financial institution to chop charges for months till and even after it applied three consecutive quarter-percentage-point reductions starting in September.
Throughout that point, Trump put in his hand-picked selection, Miran, as a Fed governor, and has sought to take away one other governor, Lisa Prepare dinner, from the board over allegations she dedicated mortgage fraud.
Prepare dinner denies these claims, which had been made within the type of prison referrals to the DOJ by Federal Housing Finance Company Director Invoice Pulte, who has been an assault canine towards perceived enemies of Trump, who appointed Pulte to his publish.
The Supreme Courtroom is about to listening to arguments on a case difficult Prepare dinner’s removing later in January.
— CNBC’s Jeff Cox and Garrett Downs contributed to this text
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