The Justice Department on Friday dropped its criminal investigation into Fed Chairman Jerome Powell.
This clears the way for Trump’s Fed Chair nominee Kevin Warsh to be confirmed.
Senator Thom Tillis vowed to block Trump’s Fed Chair confirmation until the Justice Department dropped its investigation into Powell.
US Attorney Jeanine Pirro made the announcement on Friday morning:
This morning the Inspector General for the Federal Reserve has been asked to scrutinize the building costs overruns – in the billions of dollars – that have been borne by taxpayers.
The IG has the authority to hold the Federal Reserve accountable to American taxpayers. I expect a comprehensive report in short order and am confident the outcome will assist in resolving, once and for all, the questions that led this office to issue subpoenas.
Accordingly, I have directed my office to close our investigation as the IG undertakes this inquiry. Note well, however, that I will not hesitate to restart a criminal investigation should the facts warrant doing so.
Federal investigators in January opened a criminal investigation into Fed Chairman Jerome Powell.
Powell is under fire for the cost of renovating the Fed’s DC headquarters. The cost ballooned from $1.9 billion to $2.5 billion.
“Powell has asked the central bank’s inspector general to conduct an additional review of the ongoing renovation, CNN previously reported. Last month, some Senate lawmakers grilled Powell over what they depicted as lavish upgrades to its DC headquarters at Powell’s semiannual monetary policy hearing,’ CNN previously reported.
“The Fed’s renovation project was approved by its board in 2017 and originally cost $1.9 billion in 2019. Construction began in 2021, but the cost swelled to $2.5 billion because of “unforeseen conditions” requiring more spending to rectify, such as “more asbestos than anticipated, toxic contamination in soil, and a higher-than-expected water table,” according to the Fed’s website,” CNN reported.
Last July, Jerome Powell was criminally referred to the Justice Department for prosecution.
Last month, Judge Boasberg, an Obama appointee, quashed the Justice Department’s subpoenas issued to Fed Chairman Jerome Powell.
Boasberg previously blasted Trump and US Attorney Pirro and said the subpoenas were improperly issued after the president pressured Powell to lower interest rates.
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